Harlem Globetrotters' Robert "Showboat" Hall dies

DETROIT – Robert "Showboat" Hall, one of the most revered showmen in the history of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, passed away Wednesday in Detroit, his hometown.

Hall played his first season with the Globetrotters in 1949 and took over as the top showman in 1955. He played in over 5,000 games in almost 90 different countries with the team. He played with legends like Wilt Chamberlain, Connie Hawkins and Marques Haynes.

Recommended Videos



"The Globetrotters family has lost one of its most esteemed members," said Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider. "Bob Hall's dedication to the team, to his craft and to bringing joy to families around the world is matched by few people in the history of the organization."

The former Miller High School star played and coached for the team from 1968-1974. He learned to play basketball at Detroit's Brewster Center.

Hall and the Globetrotters famously traveled to the Soviet Union during the Cold War in 1959 and helped knock down a cultural wall between the countries that many thought would last forever.