The Greatest ‘Trotters’ in the Globe: Profiling the Harlem Globetrotters (Part 3)
To read Parts One & Two of this series, please click
http://www.senore.com/The-Greatest-Trotters-in-the-Globe-Profiling-the-Harlem-Globetrotters-Part-1-a33481 and http://www.senore.com/The-Greatest-Trotters-in-the-Globe-Profiling-the-Harlem-Globetrotters-Part-2-a33482:
Jerome James
Another player worth mentioning is Jerome James, not because he was good – but because he was, in fact, a bit weird. He would have an amazing season but once he would be signed on, his performance would drop down drastically. James
was born on November 17, 1875 in Tampa, Florida. He was selected by the NBA in 1998, to play for the Sacramento Kings. James played for the Globetrotters from 1999 till the year 2000. In 2005, he led the Super Sonics to the play-offs against the Sacramento
Kings and the San Antonio Spurs. At the end of the season, he signed a 30-million-dollar contract with the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, he missed out on most of the season due to injuries, and was suspended in 2006 due to not having practiced enough. He
was so poor in his performance that he only played two games in the 2007 to 2008 season (but earned a salary of 5.8 million dollars at the same time). He was traded by the Knicks to the Chicago Bulls, but got waived.
Reece 'Goose' Tatum
Reece Tatum was perhaps one of the Globetrotters’ most influential players. He was with the Trotters back in the days when they were an actual, serious team. Tatum (or “Goose” as he was known by his friends) was born on May 31st,
1921 in El Dorado, Arkansas. He played Negro League Baseball before joining the Globetrotters and becoming a basketball sensation. He is considered to be the
true “Clown Prince” of the Trotters, having invented many stunts which would gain cult status. It is rumored that Tatum could touch his kneecaps without even bending, a feat one would think physically impossible. Tatum is also the inventor of the “Hook
Shot” which would go on to be the signature move of future basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Tatum passed away in 1967, at the age of 45.
Hubert Ausbie
The last player that we will talk about in this article is yet another member of the Globetrotters to be dubbed “Clown Prince”. This player is Hubert “Geese” Ausbie, born on April 25th, 1938 in Crescent, Oklahoma, the
youngest of eight children. As a high school student, he excelled in baseball, basketball, and track – as result of which he was offered over 200 scholarships by every major college in the country. He decided to attend Philander Smith College due to its religious
ties as well as the fact that his brother already studied there. In his senior year there, he managed to finish as the third leading scorer in the nation.
After graduation, Ausbie passed on an offer for a spot in the Chicago Cubs, and tried out for the Globetrotters. He was selected, and travelled the world entertaining the masses. Ausbie’s nickname was originally Goose, but due
to Goose Tatum already being on the team, the Globetrotters changed it to Geese. Ausbie’s natural basketball skills and his knack for being funny on the courts shot him to stardom. During his time with the Globetrotters, he usually appeared on a television
show called “Wide World of Sports”. Ausbie retired in 1985, but made a comeback to the world of sports in 1995 – not as a player but as head coach and manager of operations for the Globetrotters.
Not only were these players some of the greatest of their times because of their playing talent, they did what few other sportsmen are able to do – they used their talents purely to
entertain. Sure, other basketball players entertain their fans too, but these guys employed creativity and innovation to turn a sport like basketball into something even more fun to watch than it already is.
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