News for North Texas
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Marques Haynes, Harlem Globetrotter Legend, Dies In Plano At 89

Shutterstock

Marques Haynes, the Harlem Globetrotters star often called the greatest dribbler in basketball history, has died in Plano. He was 89.

The Globetrotters said Haynes died Friday of natural causes. Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider said "basketball has lost one of its most iconic figures."

Haynes made the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, the first Globetrotter to be so honored. He had two stints with the touring team — from 1947-53 and 1972-79.

He played in more than 12,000 games, traveling more than 4 million miles and appearing in more than 100 countries for a team that combined dazzling skills, theatrical showmanship and circus antics. He was the Globetrotters' player-coach in 1974-75.

The Globetrotters will dedicate their 90th anniversary tour in 2016 to Haynes and will wear a uniform patch in tribute.

Read more about Haynes on the Harlem Globetrotters' website.

Video: Marques Haynes' Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odBZdKRzHv0

Photo: Gary Paul Lewis/Shutterstock