Harlem Globetrotters Say They're Open to Relocating Amid Bid to Join NBA

The Harlem Globetrotters are willing to do the near-unthinkable in their quest to become an NBA franchise: leave Harlem.

In a tweet Saturday, the world-famous basketball ambassadors said as much as they love their hometown, they’re willing to hear suggestions on moving if it means the NBA will add them as the 31st team:

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time the Globetrotters have changed cities.

The team originally played on Chicago’s south side where it was first founded in 1926 as the Chicago GlobeTrotters. Though the team adopted the name New York Harlem Globetrotters in 1928, that was mostly for touring purposes. In actuality, the club didn’t relocate to Harlem until 1968—more than 40 years after its founding—though it officially became the Harlem Globetrotters as now known in 1929.

Even in 2021, the team’s corporate offices are located in suburban Atlanta.

While New York may not necessarily need a third NBA team, the Globetrotters aren’t exactly tied to a single location, just in case the Association was curious.