Bob Hall, 87; Harlem Globetrotter showman
NEW YORK — Bob Hall, a key showman for the Harlem Globetrotters, basketball’s barnstorming comedy troupe, from the late 1940s until the mid-1970s, died Dec. 24 near his home in Detroit. He was 87.
His wife, Kittie Barksdale-Hall, said the cause was complications of cancer.
Mr. Hall played his first season with the Globetrotters in 1948-49, one season before Chuck Cooper, Nat Clifton, and Earl Lloyd integrated the National Basketball Association. At the time, the team was one of the few on which a talented black player could earn a living.
Mr. Hall started playing with Goose Tatum, who helped him become a master of “reams,” or ball-handling legerdemain. According to the Globetrotters’ website, Mr. Hall played more than 5,000 games in almost 90 countries with teammates like Connie Hawkins, Marques Haynes, and Wilt Chamberlain. (Hawkins and Chamberlain went on to play in the NBA.)
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2015/01/02/bob-hall-harlem-globetrotter-who-relished-role-showman-dies/GCnvKh7tgOeC3PHabDQRjP/story.html
RIP
