Honorary Harlem Globetrotters
These eight people have been officially named as honorary members by the team:
- Henry Kissinger (1976)
- Bob Hope (1977)
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1989)
- Whoopi Goldberg (1990)
- Nelson Mandela (1996)
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1999)
- Pope John Paul II (2000) - Press agent Lee Solters arranged a ceremony orchestrated in front of a crowd of 50,000 in Saint Peter's Square in which the Pope was recognized as an honorary Globetrotter.
- Jesse Jackson (2001)
In addition, Bill Cosby (in 1972) and Magic Johnson (in 2003) have been signed to $1 a year lifetime contracts with the Globetrotters. Cosby's was increased to $1.05 in 1986. In 2009, the Globetrotters drafted Tim Howard, the goalkeeper for the U.S. national soccer team and a former basketball player, to be an ambassador for the club.
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