Abe Saperstein

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Abraham M. Saperstein (July 4, 1902 – March 15, 1966) was an owner and coach of the Savoy Big Five, which later became the Harlem Globetrotters. He was born in London, England to a Jewish family.^[1]

Saperstein was the commissioner of the American Basketball League and owned the Chicago Majors team in that league.^[2]

In the 1988 Harlem Globetrotters documentary 6 Decades of Magic, it was noted that Saperstein chose "Harlem" to indicate that the players were African-American, even though they were actually from Chicago, and the "Globetrotters" moniker to make it seem as though the team had traveled all around the world.^[3]

Saperstein, whose 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) stature may render him as Basketball Hall of Fame's shortest member, was elected to the Hall in 1971.^[1] In 1979, he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.^[4] He played baseball, basketball, and ran track while in high school. He played as a guard for the Chicago Reds.

He was buried in the Westlawn Cemetery in Norridge, Illinois near Chicago.

References

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