Harlem Globetrotters to return to Madison Square Garden after four years away

The Harlem Globetrotters are eager to amaze as they return to Madison Square Garden for the first time in four years on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Photo courtesy Harlem Globetrotters

For the first time in four years, the Harlem Globetrotters are back at Madison Square Garden. On Saturday, Feb. 24, the basketball dynamos will excite and mesmerize audiences with their dunks, tricks and four-point shots (yes, you read that right) for the one-day-only event.

“New Yorkers know their basketball,” said Harlem Globetrotter and point guard, Cherelle “Torch” George who has been with the organization since 2016 and lights up the court with her on-fire moves.

A former NCAA, division 1 player for Perdue University, George stands at barely 5’3”. She first picked up a basketball at four years old when her mother bought her a Fisher Price hoop set for Christmas and it was love at first sight.

“From the moment I dribbled that ball, I never stopped,” said George. She is one of five women currently on a roster of 42 players. The first woman, Lynette Woodard, didn’t appear on the team until almost 60 years after their founding in 1985.

“I feel female representation is so important to see,” said George as she mentions that not many people are aware there are female Globetrotters. “There are some games where I run out there for warm-ups and I’ll hear a little girl say like, ‘oh mommy, they got girls.”

Originating in Chicago in 1926, the Harlem Globetrotters aren’t from Harlem at all. They formed as the “Savoy Big Five,” named after the famous Chicago ballroom where they played their early games. A year later, the team was bought by Abe Saperstein, but he didn’t change the name until 1930. At the time, Harlem was synonymous with Black excellence as the “Harlem Renaissance” gave rise to Black literature, music, fashion, etc. Due to the predominantly Black players on the team, Saperstein called them the Harlem Globetrotters “to illustrate the…