Can you believe that the Harlem Globetrotters are turning 100 next year?
The longtime basketball team known for entertaining audiences worldwide will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026, and in honor of that milestone, the team is holding open tryouts.
It’s part of the team’s effort to “expand, and elevate, the talent in its ranks.”
“We are creating one of the most unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for talented high-level athletes and entertainers, the ability to be part of the Centennial of the most iconic global sports and entertainment property. We wanted to make sure we were not limiting ourselves in our talent search,” said Keith Dawkins, President, Harlem Globetrotters & Herschend Entertainment Studios. “While the tryout will be open, and we welcome athletes from all walks of life to join us, this is a serious competition that will combine high-level athleticism, opportunities for fair compensation, player revenue opportunities via sales royalties, content opportunities via our distribution partners, community impact through our CSR efforts, and a rare opportunity to take advantage of all the creative assets we have built to literally expand one’s career beyond the game. The right athletes will have that special element of ‘showpersonship’ that the Globetrotters have been known for. It should make for a fun and exciting way to uncover our next group of stars.”
Under Dawkins’ leadership, the Globetrotters have been re-energized and have been building momentum heading into their big anniversary. This includes global tours, celebrity-filled arenas and history-making moments such as its residency held last year at the American Dream Mall in 2024.
It’s part of Dawkins’ vision to change old perceptions about the Globetrotters.
“We’re not a tour. We’re a global media entertainment property,” he told me last year during our interview, referencing the team’s alignment with new sponsors and new media partners to create new forms of content.
So while the team continued their famous tours, visiting 50 markets across the globe and an additional 46 cities in North America, the team also returned to network television for the first time in four decadess with their Emmy nominated NBC series “Harlem Globetrotters: Play it Forward” which also airs on Telemundo as “Harlem Globetrotters: Ganando Con La Comunidad.”
Now they’re opening up their ranks for new faces and new talents to bring enjoyment to fans across the world.
The Globetrotters plan to bring in roughly 30 athletes to the tryout, and they, according to the press release, will be part of a months-long process in selecting the athletes for the Centennial team.
For those interested in participating in the tryouts, you can register here.
