This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Nine decades after they were organized, the Harlem Globetrotters are bringing their act back to Salt Lake City.
The 90th-anniversary edition of the world-famous basketball team plays Vivint Smart Home Arena on Monday, and everything old will be new again.
"Our main focus is getting out there, having a good time and making people smile," said Hawk Thomas, a member of the current squad. "I love it. I've never had so much fun in my life. When you're a Globetrotter, you're, like, America's team. That we can get out there and entertain people that you know are going to enjoy it — it means a lot."
The Harlem Globetrotters began in 1926 as the Savoy Big Five, a basketball exhibition team organized in … wait for it … Chicago. The team's promoter began billing them as the New York Harlem Globetrotters because Harlem was so identified with African Americans. The team didn't play a game there until 1968.
Originally, the Globetrotters were built on basketball skill — their appearances were exhibitions of amazing athletic ability. Comedy didn't begin to become part of the routine until the 1940s. And as the team celebrates its 90th anniversary, the game remains the focus of the entertainment.
"I always tell people it's 90 percent basketball," said Thomas, who added that the team practices two hours a day. "Of course, you've got to be able to do so many different things. We make spectacular dunks. We're shooting 12 feet behind the NBA line — we're making 4-pointers. You definitely have to know how to play the game of basketball."
And that's the legacy of the Globetrotters in their 90th year.
"You have guys like Marques Haynes, Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal who paved the way for what the Globetrotters are now," Thomas said. "So to be a part of something that's celebrating its 90th anniversary — to be a part of an organization that been to 122 countries and territories on six continents — you know you are a part of something special."
Something that has entertained people for generations.
"I run into people who say, 'I remember seeing Meadowlark. I took my kids when they were younger,' " Thomas said. "Now those kids are taking their own kids. A 2-year-old can enjoy it as well as a 60-, 70-, 80-year-old.
"Once you're a Harlem Globetrotters fan, you're always a Harlem Globetrotters fan."
Twitter: @ScottDPierce —
Harlem Globetrotters 2016 World Tour
When • Monday, 7 p.m.
Where • Vivint Smart Home Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $20-$135; Smith's Tix
More info • http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com