WHAT do you get when you combine sport, theatre and comedy?
The Harlem Globe Trotters are a legendary exhibition basketball team – who have played more than 26,000 games across 122 countries over the past 90 years.
Decked in the United States flag's colours of red, white and blue - the team play at more than 450 live events each year, and are famed for their sporting skill and tricks.
Where did the Harlem Globe Trotters come from?
Originally called the Chicago Globe Trotters, the group were founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1926.
The team is now based in Atlanta, and has an international office in Beijing, China.
Their current president is Howard Smith - and their coaches Jummy Blacklock, Barry Hardy and 27-year Globe Trotters veteran Lou Dundar.
The Globe Trotter's signature acts include juggling balls between players, balancing or spinning balls on their fingertips, and making unusual and difficult shots.
Who came up with the idea?
The team's founding members where all African Americans from Chicago.
The act was the brainchild of bosses at the Savoy Ballroom, which opened in November 1927, who wanted an act to play before dances.
But in 1928, a big dispute led several players to leave the team and, that autumn, a group led by Tommy Brookers formed the 'Globe Trotters' - who went on to tour Illinois.
The group changed its name to New York Harlem Globe Trotters in 1929, because the area was considered the centre of African American culture at the time.
Ironically, the team didn't perform in Harlem until 1968 - four decades after they were formed.
How did Globe Trotters become so famous?
In 1940, the Globe Trotters stormed to victory in the World Professional Basketball Tournament.
Having already perfected their sporting skill, they turned their attention to working comic routines into the act.
The team credit Reece 'Goose' Tatum, who at 6ft 4in had such an arm span that he could reportedly touch his knees without bending down, with the change in direction.
The Globe Trotters were one of the most famous teams in the country until the rise of the National Basketball Association (NBA) which eclipsed them slightly.
In 1950, Globe Trotter Chuck Cooper became the first black player to play in the NBA.
Who's played for the Globe Trotters?
Globe Trotters greats 'Wee' Willie Gardner, Connie 'The Hawk' Hawkins, Wilt 'The Stilt' Chamberlain and Nat 'Sweetwater' Clifton all went on to play for the NBA.
The team signed their first female player, Olympic gold medallist Lynette Woodard, in 1985 - and have played with 12 women since.
Baseball Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Bob Gibson and Ferguson Jenkins also all played for the team.
Nearly all the team's players have been African American - because of the 'buffoonery' involved in their skits.
While parts of the show are pre-planned, the game is real - and the team were once beaten by the Washington Generals, much to the upset of their crowd.
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