100 All-Time Greatest Comedy Basketball Players | VIDEO

*(Detroit-MI)- The American Basketball Hall of Fame has announced its list of 100 of the greatest barnstorming comedy basketball players of All-Times. For a long time, many of these players have been overlooked by the NBA and halls of fame and forgotten by fans.

Many of these players could have played in the NBA and few on this list have played in the NBA and have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the American Basketball Hall of Fame.

Comedy basketball goes back to 1927 with the first comedy basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters, then in 1934 with the Harlem Clowns, many fans only know about the Harlem Globetrotters, but since the 1930’s there have been many barnstorming comedy basketball teams from the likes of the Harlem Roadkings, Harlem Stars, Harlem Travels, Harlem Magicians, Harlem Satellites, Harlem Ambassadors, Harlem Diplomats, Harlem Wizards, and Meadowlark Lemon Harlem All-Stars and many more.  Many of these teams today are still barnstorming the globe.

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Back in the 1950’s many times, the Harlem Globetrotters would play on the same card with the NBA to help draw fans. Many of the things you see in the NBA today come from comedy basketball and from the urban playground of America. The 3 point shot, the hook shot, the slam dunk, the crossover dribble, and the fancy passing also come from comedy basketball. Many comedy basketball players have very long playing careers like Marques Haynes and Meadowlark Lemon, played for over 50 years, and toured over 100 counties.

The goal of the American Basketball Hall of Fame that is based in the city of Detroit is to form an organization called Comedy Basketball Retrieved Players Association (CBRPA) to help retrieved players and to recognize players of comedy basketball each year. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has inducted about 10 players and owners of comedy basketball into the hall of fame, and over the past 5 years, they have honored players like Tyrone “Hollywood” Brown of the Harlem Globetrotters with the Mannie Jackson Award and LaMont “ShowBoat” Robinson of the Harlem Clowns who have been nominated 5 times for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

ALL-TIME COMEDY BASKETBALL LEGENDS

DONALD “DUCKY” MOORE – HARLEM AMBASSADORS/HG 

PAXTON “SUGAR” LUMPKIN – HARLEM AMBASSADORS 

CORNY FREEMAN – HARLEM AMBASSADORS  

BILL “RED” TURNER – HARLEM AMBASSADORS  

“LIL” ARTHUR DOUGLAS – HARLEM AMBASSADORS

LAMONT “SHOWBOAT” ROBINSON – HARLEM CLOWNS

EURAL McKELVY – HARLEM CLOWNS/HG 

AL “RUNT” PULLINS – HARLEM CLOWNS/HG

STANLEY “CHICO” BURRELL HARLEM CLOWNS/HG 

HERB SCAIFE HARLEM CLOWNS

BOB “TICK” WOODS – HARLEM CLOWNS  

JAMES WOOLEY, Jr – HARLEM CLOWNS  

EDDIE HURT – HARLEM CLOWNS 

JACKIE WHITE – HARLEM CLOWNS 

GEORGE MOORE – HARLEM CLOWNS 

SUG MORRISON – HARLEM CLOWNS 

RAY “SHOWBOAT” CLAY – HARLEM CLOWNS 

WAYNE “RARE AIR” – HARLEM CLOWNS 

ART “BONE” SMITH -ART SMITH – HARLEM CLOWNS 

ROBERT COOPER – HARLEM CLOWNS 

HOWIE RAND – HARLEM CLOWNS 

GOOSE Jr, – HARLEM DIPLOMATS 

NEAL HUMPHREY – HARLEM DIPLOMATS 

“HOOKS” HARVEY – HARLEM DIPLOMATS

MEADOWLARK LEMON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

FRED “CURLY” NEAL – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

REECE “GOOSE” TATUM – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

TYRONE “HOLLYWOOD” BROWN – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

BOBBY HUNTER – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

“CURLEY BOO” JOHNSON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

PAUL “SHOWTIME” GAFFNEY – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

MICHAEL “WILD THING”  WILSON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

MARQUES HAYNES – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

SAMMY GEE – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

LOUIS “SWEET LOU” DUNBAR – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

MICHAEL “MEMPHIS” DOUGLAS – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

BOBBY JOE MASON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

“JUMPIN” JACKIE JACKSON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

EARVIN “MAGIC” JOHNSON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS/NBA 

TED STRONG – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

BOID BUIE – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

OSBORNE LOCKHART – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

WOODY SAULDSBERRY – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS/NBA  

CONNIE “THE HAWK” HAWKINS – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS/NBA  

LEON HILLARD – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

NATHANIEL “SWEETWATER” CLIFTON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS/NBA 

REGGIE “AIRMAN” DIXSON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

JAMES “TWIGGY” SANDERS – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

OTIS KEY – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

LYNETTE WOODARD – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS/WNBA 

MATTHEW “SHOWBIZ” JACKSON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

BILLY RAY HOBLEY – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

ROBERT “SHOWBOAT” HALL – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

KEVIN “SPECIAL” DALEY – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

MANNIE JACKSON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

SAM “BOOM-BOOM” WHEELER – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

WILLIAM “ROOKIE” BROWN – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

LARRY “SHORTY” COLEMAN – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

HUBERT “GEESE” AUSBIE – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

WILT CHAMBERLAIN – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS/NBA 

HAROLD “BOBO” HUBBARD – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS    

WILLIAM “POP” GATES – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

BABE PRESSLEY – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

LARRY “GATOR” RIVERS – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

“JUMPIN” JOHNNY WILSON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

PABLO ROBERTSON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

“JUMPIN” JOHNNY KLINE – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

ERMER ROBINSON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

J.C. GIPSON – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS

ERNEST  WAGNER  – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS  

FRANK “SHAKE IN BAKE” STREETY – HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 

JOSH GRIDER – HARLEM MAGICIANS/HG 

EUGENE JOHNSON – HARLEM MAGICIANS 

VALENTINO WILLIS – HARLEM MAGICIANS 

“SUGARFOOT” JOHNSON WILEY – HARLEM MAGICIANS 

NORRIS SHAPP – HARLEM MAGICIANS 

KEN SCOTT – HARLEM MAGICIANS   

JOHN SMITH – HARLEM MAGICIANS 

PAUL MARTIN – HARLEM MAGICIANS 

TOMMY GIBSON – HARLEM MAGICIANS

BRENT “BJ” JOHNSON – MEADOWLARK LEMON’S HARLEM ALL-STARS  

LES “PEE WEE” HARRISON – MEADOWLARK LEMON’S HARLEM ALL-STARS  

ERNEST AUGHBURNS – MEADOWLARK LEMON’S HARLEM ALL-STARS/HG  

SHERWIN “SHAKE” DURHAM – MEADOWLARK LEMON’S HARLEM ALL-STARS/HG   

TONY MARTIN – MEADOWLARK LEMON’S HARLEM ALL-STARS

MARVIN “DEADEYE” HEMPSTEAD – HARLEM ROADKINGS

HAROLD “CHICO” DAWKINS – HARLEM ROADKINGS  

DeMONIO DUKES – HARLEM ROADKINGS 

CLEO JOHNSON – HARLEM ROADKINGS 

MARLAND “SHOWBOAT” BUCKNER – HARLEM ROADKINGS 

TERRELLE “HANDLES” JONES – HARLEM ROADKINGS

FRANK “SHOWBOAT” GIBSON – HARLEM SATELLITES 

“BIG” BILL” MATHEWS – HARLEM SATELLITES 

EUGENE “GENE” ANDERSON – HARLEM SATELLITES  

AL SCOTT – MAGIC STARS 

REX “SHOWBOAT” JONES – HARLEM TRAVELERS    

SAM WORTHEN – HARLEM WIZARDS

ARNOLD “A-TRAIN” BERNARD/HG 

CLARENCE “MUGSY” LEGGETT – HARLEM WIZARDS

TOJO – HARLEM WIZARDS
source: American Basketball Hall of Fame

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