# Harlem Globetrotters vs. Bottom-Rung NBA Team **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 14, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863 "2015-08-14T19:39:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/21 "2015-08-18T17:00:27Z")
So where do Globetrotters come from? Straight from college basketball I assume. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/22 "2015-08-18T17:34:24Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > So where do Globetrotters come from? Straight from college basketball I assume. Maybe high school in some cases. Probably anyone good enough got at least some college ball in. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/23 "2015-08-18T18:13:16Z")
[Looks like](http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/roster/current-roster) they’re currently at least mostly from second-rank or small colleges. I haven’t clicked on all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Gent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gent)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/24 "2015-08-18T19:45:41Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > So where do Globetrotters come from? Straight from college basketball I assume. The roster is largely made up of former division 2 and division 3 college basketball players. The Globetrotters target players with tremendous athleticism, or gimmicky ball handling. The actual skill level of the players whom comprise the roster, is rather weak. They would struggle to beat most division 1 college teams. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/25 "2015-08-18T20:40:23Z")
> [@Gent](#): > > The Globetrotters are entertaining to watch. They’re less about basketball, and more about putting on a show. In reality, many college teams would beat them in an organized, evenly-officiated game. Remember, the Globetroiter’s roster consists of players who couldn’t make it in the D-league, let alone the NBA. Most college teams are also players who couldn’t make it in the d league, and also have much less experience. I think very few college teams could beat them in a real game. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/26 "2015-08-18T20:55:46Z")
Just a tangent, because I think it’s a fun piece of trivia. Menacing Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson played for the Globetrotters in 1957-58. His roommate was Meadowlark Lemon, who would later say that Gibby could have played for the NBA had he wanted to. Luckily for the Cardinals, and unluckily for almost everyone else, he chose baseball. [http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/23028600/just-because-bob-gibson-basketball-star](http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/23028600/just-because-bob-gibson-basketball-star) ---
**Author:** ![Gent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gent)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/27 "2015-08-18T22:49:02Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Most college teams are also players who couldn’t make it in the d league, and also have much less experience. I think very few college teams could beat them in a real game. There’s a huge talent discrepancy between division 2 and division 3 players–which the Globetrotters are comprised of–and division 1 college players. Many of the Globetrotters’ players would fail to see any playing time on a division 1 collegiate team. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/28 "2015-08-18T23:42:08Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > True about the show aspect, but at the end of the day the player still has to put the ball into the basket. > > The way the Globetrotters and Generals work is the Generals actually play real ball when on offense. But on defense, the rule is “make the Globetrotters look good”. It’s more that the Generals had to spot the Globetrotters a set number of baskets a game (20-30 points worth) to do their set plays and gag baskets. Even if they played hard at both ends, that’s a pretty big hole to dig out of. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/29 "2015-08-18T23:55:29Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > The Globetrotters originally developed their ball-handling act as a kind of pre-game exhibition. They didn’t use it much during games. When the NBA integrated, the Globetrotters lost some of their talent to the NBA, and public interest in the Globetrotters as a competitive team waned. To maintain their popularity, they became an exhibition team and worked their fancy pre-game ball-handling routine into their games (along with some new comedic stuff). Their showmanship started even before they called themselves the Harlem Globetrotters. They were originally the Savoy Big Five and they took to the road after they lost home court at the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago. After some ugly scenes after they straight-up embarrassed opponents in front of their smalltown hometown crowds, they started incorporating flashing routines and plays as a way to ease up on opponents once they took a comfortable lead and to give the fans some entertainment value. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/30 "2015-08-19T00:44:34Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > Their showmanship started even before they called themselves the Harlem Globetrotters. They were originally the Savoy Big Five and they took to the road after they lost home court at the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago. After some ugly scenes after they straight-up embarrassed opponents in front of their smalltown hometown crowds, they started incorporating flashing routines and plays as a way to ease up on opponents once they took a comfortable lead and to give the fans some entertainment value. Would it be accurate to say that the Globetrotters aren’t really playing basketball at all? Or, perhaps, not playing a basketball _game_? Meaning, when an NBA team goes out on the court, they have a goal: to score more points than their opponents and thus win the game. If you’re a Knicks fan, you’re happy if they do so, even if they score every point at the free throw line, right? So long as they have a higher number on their side of the scoreboard than the other guys, you don’t really care _how_ they did it, right? But the Globetrotters are out to put on a show. When you go see the Globetrotters, you want to see some razzle-dazzle - kewl dunks and trick shots and fancy ball-handling; maybe the ref getting pantsed. So is it even possible to compare the Globetrotters to an NBA team? ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/31 "2015-08-19T01:55:09Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > It’s more that the Generals had to spot the Globetrotters a set number of baskets a game (20-30 points worth) to do their set plays and gag baskets. Even if they played hard at both ends, that’s a pretty big hole to dig out of. Yeah, my understanding is that they would play real basketball for several minutes, then shift to an elaborate set piece in which the Globetrotters would score, then play a few more minutes of real basketball, then do the next set piece, etc. The Generals did win a few times, but it was pretty rare. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/32 "2015-08-19T02:28:39Z")
> [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](#): > > Yeah, my understanding is that they would play real basketball for several minutes, then shift to an elaborate set piece in which the Globetrotters would score, then play a few more minutes of real basketball, then do the next set piece, etc. > > The Generals did win a few times, but it was pretty rare. Once, in 1971, according to the link **bup** cited in Post #6. The Generals general manager quoted in that story said they lost about 16,000 times. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/33 "2015-08-19T03:58:55Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Once, in 1971, according to the link **bup** cited in Post #6. > > The Generals general manager quoted in that story said they lost about 16,000 times. Well, actually that article states that the Generals won three games. Admittedly, only one of those three wins was against the Globetrotters. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/34 "2015-08-19T04:12:24Z")
It’s Barnum and Bailey’s Basketball Circus, so no, they could not nor will ever beat a legit NBA team. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863/35 "2015-08-19T18:47:30Z")
As others have noted, even a benchwarmer in the NBA makes a lot more money than anyone on the Globetrotters. If any of the Globetrotters were good enough to be backups for the 76ers, believe me, they’d BE backups for the 76ers. To illustrate, look at the current Globetrotters: [http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/roster/current-roster](http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/roster/current-roster) None of the starters was drafted by an NBA team. Most of them are one-dimensional players, guys who can do a lot of cool trick shots, a lot of fancy dribbling, etc., but couldn’t make it at the highest level. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harlem-globetrotters-vs-bottom-rung-nba-team/727863.md?page=1)