Abe Saperstein
Abraham M. Saperstein (July 4, 1902 – March 15, 1966) was the founder and coach of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters. In an era where basketball hadn’t yet found its niche, Saperstein played the role of P.T. Barnum and promoted the nuances of the sport worldwide. During the latter stages of his life, he was also credited with the invention of the three point shot, without which the game of basketball would undoubtedly be slow and at best a grind. Although Saperstein does not receive the lion’s share of fame in basketball’s upbringing, basketball would not be where it is at now without his lifelong dedication and contribution to the sport. Life: Abe Saperstein was born in London, England, but left for Chicago at the young age of six. Though he was only 5 feet tall, Saperstein competed in baseball, basketball, and track as a high school student, but wasn't even given a tryout for the basketball team at the University of Illinois. From 1920 to 1925, he played guard for the semi-professional Chicago Reds. (reference) While much of Saperstein’s youth passed under the radar, he first came onto the horizon in 1928 as a basketball coach of the Savoy Big Five, named after Chicago’s famous Savoy Ballroom. After a short lived stint as a professional baseball and basketball player, Saperstein had found his role as coach and promoter.
- Globetrotter History
The Harlem Globetrotters evolved from a series of different teams, beginning with the “Giles Post” of the Negro American Legion League. The Giles Post was founded at Wendell Phillips High School in 1926. Soon thereafter, Abe Saperstein took over the team and renamed it the Savoy Big Five in return for sponsorship of his team. At the time, the Savoy Ballroom had just opened and partnered with Saperstein in an attempt to draw an audience to dance after their shows. In its early stages, the Savoy Big Five consisted entirely of African Americans and was deemed to be a failure by all. The team consisted of William Grant, Lester Johnson, Tommy Brookings, Inman Jackson, Joe Lillard, Walter Wright, Randolph Ramsey, and William Watson. One year later, he formed the Saperstein's Harlem, New York, Globetrotters, which later fused simply into the Harlem Globetrotters that we are familiar with today. The early Trotters were a serious basketball five, sporting a 101-6 record the first year, 145-13 in 1928, and 151-13 in 1929. Finding difficulty locating willing opponents, Saperstein conceived the idea of fancy, comedic, razzle-dazzle type of play, and soon the team became a must-see attraction on the professional basketball barnstorming circuit. (reference) Not only did Saperstein manage the team, he acted as their chauffeur, trainer, as well as their only substitute player in order to manage finances in a time where profits were bleak. All their clowning notwithstanding, the Globetrotters won the World Basketball Championship in 1940, giving substance to Saperstein's long-ignored claim that given the opportunity, they were among basketball's best. In 1943-44, the Trotters captured basketball’s International Cup. (references)
- Birth of the ABL
The second coming of the American Basketball League or the ABL, was the brainchild of a disappointed Abe Saperstein. Amidst a flurry of controversy, the ABL was founded in 1961 in Chicago as a response to Saperstein’s denial of his own NBA team in Los Angeles and the move of the Lakers from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. In fact, he was more than convinced that professional basketball was ready for something new. Saperstein had spent years supporting the struggling NBA with doubleheader games featuring his Harlem Globetrotters. After the Lakers settled in Los Angeles, Saperstein went out of his way to place ABL teams in Los Angeles to rival the Lakers. He convinced the National Alliance of Basketball Leagues team owner Tuck Tapers and Amateur Athletic Union owner George Steinbrenner to take their top teams and form a league to rival the NBA. Saperstein absentmindedly placed the Jets in Los Angeles and moved a relatively successful Hawaii Chiefs team to Long Beach to create more Havoc for the Lakers. The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961-1962, and part of 1962-1963. The league actually folded on December 31, 1962, with the only crowned champion being the Bill Sharman-led Cleveland Pipers. (reference)
- The Game that Changed the Game
Up until the end of the 1940’s, basketball, like life in general, held its racial barriers and did not allow blacks to mix with whites. The truth was, at the time, that the majority of the basketball fans, including the players of the NBL did not think that blacks had the talent and the smarts to play basketball. The Harlem Globetrotters, they felt, were the embodiment of a black man’s capabilities: create a circus, make people laugh, and provide entertainment. However, the face of basketball changed abruptly after a game featuring the National Basketball League’s best, Minneapolis Lakers and Abe Saperstein’s Harlem Globetrotters.
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