The Harlem Globetrotters in the Soviet Union
How the American showmen won over basketball fans in Moscow during the Cold War
Sporting Witness · BBC World Service
January 10, 20159m 2s
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Show Notes
In 1959, the Harlem Globetrotters paid an unlikely Cold War visit to the Soviet Union. Their mixture of athleticism and American-style entertainment eventually won over basketball fans in Moscow and earned them hugs from Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev. Former Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon talks to Sporting Witness.
(Photo: The Harlem Globetrotters arriving in Moscow in 1959. Credit: Harlem Globetrotters International)