As the exhibition basketball team approach 100, president Keith Dawkins, along with IMG Licensing vice-president Brett Weiss, shares with The Drum how partnerships, retail expansion and new platforms are repositioning the team as a multi-platform global entertainment brand.
For decades, the Harlem Globetrotters were shorthand for trick shots, packed arenas and a theme song you could hum on command. As the team heads toward its 100th anniversary this year, leadership is asking a tougher question: what does a century-old brand look like on TikTok, in streetwear drops and in the collectibles aisle?
The answer, at least so far, is scale and reach. Since IMG Licensing became the Globetrotters’ global licensing agent in 2024, the focus has moved from memory to momentum. Apparel, headwear, collectibles, toys and lifestyle products are rolling out through collaborations with New Era, Ovo, Actively Black, NBA Lab and Shoe Palace. The centennial campaign began on December 14 with an anniversary game at Madison Square Garden, kicking off a yearlong run of more than 400 events across 25 countries, alongside new content initiatives and expanded retail.
The bigger ambition is repositioning the Globetrotters from a touring attraction to a multi-platform global entertainment brand.
Letting go of the scrapbook without losing the soul
Keith Dawkins, president of the Harlem Globetrotters, says the centennial has not been about discarding the past but broadening the frame.
“It hasn’t been about letting go, but about unleashing new thinking,” he says. At their peak in the 70s and 80s, fans knew the stars, saw them on TV, attended live tours and bought the merchandise. Revitalizing the brand meant building “a new ecosystem” for where audiences live now.
If the Globetrotters want another 100 years, they cannot rely on the road alone. Dawkins talks about meeting fans across linear and streaming platforms, social and digital channels, gaming, consumer products and live events. “New platforms and new strategic partners, along with a clear vision and great execution, will ignite a bright new future,” he says.
Some elements remain untouched. Dawkins calls the team’s identity as “ambassadors of goodwill” non-negotiable. Joy, hope and possibility are the filters every collaboration must pass through. Modern fashion, music and sports partners understand those values and build around them.
Success in the centennial year, he adds, will not be measured only in attendance or merchandise sales. It is about showing up “where the audience resides in ways that are fresh and meaningful.” If that works, relevance and audience growth follow.
Anchoring the celebration at Madison Square Garden puts the brand exactly where it wants to be. The arena bills itself as the world’s most famous and pairing it with a 100-year milestone amplifies both history and ambition. The Garden hosts artists and athletes who shape what people pay attention to and the Globetrotters want to be in that mix.
Modernizing a legacy brand
For Brett Weiss, vice-president at IMG Licensing, the first hurdle was perception. “One of the biggest misconceptions was that the Harlem Globetrotters were purely a legacy touring sports property rooted in nostalgia,” he says. “In reality, the brand is a unique platform that sits at the intersection of sport, entertainment, fashion and social impact, with deep multigenerational and global equity.”
Weiss describes the 100th anniversary as “the perfect catalyst” to rethink how the brand is perceived. “It allowed us to honor heritage while signaling the future,” he says, pointing to new ownership under Herschend and IMG’s role in steering a global licensing strategy designed to prove the brand’s relevance heading into its next century.
In his view, modernization did not mean starting from scratch. “The key was not reinvention, it was reinterpretation,” Weiss says. Rather than dilute that 100-year legacy, IMG spotlighted archival assets, storytelling and iconography while inviting contemporary partners to reinterpret them for today. Product placements in fast-fashion and mall channels, streetwear labels like Ovo and headwear specialists such as New Era helped validate relevance with younger consumers.
The test for any collaboration, Weiss adds, is whether it delivers more than a logo hit. “For us, a collaboration must deliver three things: credibility, audience expansion and long-term brand equity. Our best partners tap into 100 years of assets and reinterpret them in ways that feel thoughtful and premium.”
Licensing as discovery engine
The most significant evolution may be how licensing functions inside the business. Under Herschend’s ownership, the Globetrotters have adopted an always-on entertainment model, expanding far beyond the traditional tour calendar.
“Licensing now plays a central role in fan engagement and storytelling, not just revenue generation,” Weiss says. Consumer products sit alongside live events, content, social media and experiential activations as part of one connected ecosystem.
He adds that the strategy isn’t limited to venue retail. “We’ve moved beyond arena-only distribution into a coordinated global approach, placing product in thousands of retail doors while integrating licensing into content moments and tour experiences.”
For younger audiences, discovery may start with a hoodie, a gaming tie-in or a trading card rather than a ticket. Weiss believes that moving to the entry point is critical.
“Discovery will increasingly happen through commerce and collectibles, not just live events,” he says. “Products become discovery moments that extend beyond the core audience.”
The centennial may celebrate the past, but the strategy is built for shelf space, screen time and sustained visibility. For the Globetrotters, licensing is the new growth plan.
For more information on licensing opportunities with the Harlem Globetrotters, visit https://imglicensing.com/brands/harlem-globetrotters/.