Abe Saperstein
Abraham Michael Saperstein (Yiddish: אברהם מיכאל סאפערשטיין; July 4, 1902 – March 15, 1966) was the founder, owner and earliest coach of the Harlem Globetrotters. Saperstein was a leading figure in black basketball and baseball from the 1920s through the 1950s, primarily before those sports were racially integrated.
Abe Saperstein | |
|---|---|
Saperstein, circa 1950s | |
| Born | July 4, 1902 London, England |
| Died | March 15, 1966 (aged 63) |
| Resting place | Westlawn Cemetery Norridge, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Coach, basketball executive, businessman |
| Known for | Owner of the Harlem Globetrotters Commissioner of the American Basketball League |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) |
| Awards | Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1971) International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (1979) National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2005) |
Saperstein revolutionized the game of basketball and took the Globetrotters from an unknown team touring small farm towns in the Midwestern United States during the height of the Great Depression to a powerhouse that went on to beat the best team in the all-white National Basketball Association. He also introduced the three-point shot, which went on to become a mainstay of modern basketball.
Saperstein was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971 and, at 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m), is its shortest male member. In 1979, he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and 2005 was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.