This February, Sports Illustrated is celebrating Black History Month by spotlighting a different iconic athlete or group of athletes every day. Today, SI looks back on the legacy of the Harlem Globetrotters.
The Harlem Globetrotters are known for entertaining fans with their unique mix of theater, comedy and basketball. But several decades ago, they were just a regular old basketball team who helped integrate a segregated sport.
In 1948, nearly 18,000 fans packed Chicago Stadium to witness the Globetrotters take on the Minneapolis Lakers, then professional basketball's premier team. Up until that point, no basketball game at Chicago Stadium had ever drawn 9,000 spectators.