“Barnstormin”- The Historical Journey of African American
Basketball Players – The Beginning Years 1891 - 1960
All American “Jumpin Johnny” Kline
played with the Harlem Globetrotters from 1953 though 1959, then returned to Wayne State
University in Detroit,
Michigan
to earn his Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. degrees.
He has put together a “Barnstormin”
exhibit of the history of the African American Legends of Professional
Basketball. This exhibit is unique and covers all the major teams and stars in African
American professional basketball from 1891 through 1960.
This exhibit includes Paul LeRoy
Bustill Robeston who was a multi-lingual American actor, an athlete, a Basso cantata
concert singer, a writer and a civil rights activist. Paul Robeston was also
the star of the St. Christopher Club basketball team that won the Colored
Basketball World Championship in 1917.
The exhibit contains photos of teams
and players through the 1920’s and 1930’s that feature the New York Renaissance
team called the “Rens” and the Harlem Globetrotters.
This “Barnstormin” exhibit is unique
and educates fans about the history of African American professional basketball
players up to their start in the National Basketball Association (NBA) when they
allowed only two Black players per NBA team. The irony is, today when left up
to player ability only, over 93 % of all players in the NBA are African
American.
This exhibit is available to educate
the public about African American player’s contributions to the game of
Professional Basketball. Here are some of the photos from this exhibit with Dr.
Kline.
There are more fans that need to know the
contribution that African American
pioneer players made to professional basketball. Contact me by phone at (615)
457-3418 for more information about this exhibit.
Dr.
John L. Kline Ph.D.
Founder
and President
Black
Legends of Professional Basketball Foundation
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