This partnership combines the extensive global reach of the NBA with the dynamic entertainment product of the Globetrotters.  The NBA and Harlem Globetrotters will work together in planning and promoting the Globetrotters’ international slate of games and events. 

The partnership will debut this February when the Globetrotters take part in a number of activities during NBA All-Star 2009, which is the NBA’s global showcase with the game and events televised around the world.  

“The Harlem Globetrotters are world famous and synonymous with fun family entertainment,” said Heidi Ueberroth, NBA President, Global Marketing Partnerships and International Business Operations. “We are pleased to enter into this partnership which complements our efforts to continue the growth of the game of basketball globally.”

“The NBA has long been visionary in its understanding of the synergies between sports and entertainment,” said Harlem Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider. “We believe our unique and proprietary brand of basketball showmanship, paired with the expertise and infrastructure of the NBA’s global operation, is an unbeatable combination for both organizations, and for basketball all over the world.  Through this partnership, we can bring more Globetrotter fun to more fans on more platforms worldwide.”

The NBA is global, with games televised in 215 countries and in 41 different languages.  This past offseason, the NBA hosted more than 135 international events in 93 cities in 25 countries.

The league has international offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Paris, Shanghai, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo, and Toronto. At the start of this season, the NBA features 75 international players from 32 countries and territories.  

The world famous Harlem Globetrotters recently visited the 120th country in their illustrious eight-decade history when they showcased their unique brand of family entertainment in Bosnia and Herzegovina in October.  

In addition to their annual 240-plus-game domestic schedule, the Globetrotters play more than 100 games a year internationally. The most traveled team in the history of sports, the Globetrotters have helped introduce the game of basketball to many of the countries they have visited in their 83 years of touring the world.