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Harlem Globetrotters Unveil 2026 Rookie Class Welcoming 10 New Athletes Ahead of Their Centennial Season

via Business Wire

Freestyler Yoh Iwasaki Becomes Globetrotters First-Ever Japanese Player; Four Women Added Across Generals and Globetrotters, In Advance of “The 100 Year Tour” Kickoff at Madison Square Garden on December 14

The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters today announced one of their largest groups of new athletes in the organization’s history, six men and four women, who will join the returning players as part of The 100 Year Tour, the organizations 100th season. The group includes players from major Division 1 conferences including THE BIG EAST, the Northeast Conference, the Southland Conferences, a variety of HBCU schools and players with international experience, as well as freestyler Yoh Iwasaki, the Globetrotter’s first athlete from Japan and third from Asia. The Globetrotters are currently beginning training camp at Lakepoint Sports in Cartersville, GA, before the official tip off with a special event at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, December 14.

“This year we bolstered our player recruitment efforts with help of a scouting consultant with deep roots across the basketball landscape which resulted in us having greater presence at important events like NBA Summer League, the NBA Draft Combine, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and other facets of the global basketball landscape,” said Keith Dawkins, President, Harlem Globetrotters & Herschend Entertainment Studios. “All of this activity led to our first-ever open tryout, where these athletes were selected, and we are very proud to welcome them to the Globetrotters for this once-in-a-lifetime Centennial season.”

Included in the group is Iwasaki, a dynamic freestyle dribbler and trick shot artist whose short form videos have been seen by millions. He becomes the third member of The Globetrotters from Asia, which included "The Mongolian Shark" seven-foot Sharavjamts Tserenjanhor, who was the first Asian player in the early 2000s (and his son Mike is currently starting at The University of South Carolina), and Jiang "Lucky" Shan from Beijing, China, signed with the team as part of their 2020 rookie class, who spent two seasons with the club.

The rest of the Globetrotter and Washington Generals rookies include:

Zanai Jones (Jersey City, NJ) – A 5’6” point guard who spent 3 years at Villanova University, before she transferred to SMU and averaged 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Mike Saunders Jr (Indianapolis, IN) – A 6’0” guard, appeared in 17 games as a grad transfer at Pepperdine in 2024-25 after being a key contributor for McNeese State’s Southland Conference Championship team, averaging 6.0 points and 1.6 assists per game. Prior to McNeese he was at the University of Utah, averaging 4.1 ppg in one season after two seasons at the University of Cincinnati where he averaged 8 ppg in two seasons.

Deangelique Waithe (Lehigh Acres, FL) – A 6’0” forward who played three seasons at Long Island University, averaging 12.6 ppg in her senior year, earning team MVP honors, and was selected All-NEC Tournament 2nd Team.

Kaleb Wallace (Atlanta, GA) – A 6’5” forward, played at Carson-Newman for two seasons and Catawba for two, averaging 8 ppg and 3 apg as a 6-5 guard.

Ty’Ohn Trimble (Alton, IL) – A 5’7” guard, averaged 8 ppg and 5 apg in two seasons at Dillard University after starring at Parkland College for his first two seasons.

Tyrus Crawford (New Orleans, LA) – A 6’7” forward, played for the Dillard Blue Devils where he averaged 4.76 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Tauris Watson (Lexington, SC) – A 6’3” guard, played collegiately at West Georgia and Wofford after leading the Panhandle Conference in scoring at 18.2 points per game on 47.8 percent from the floor and 32.8 percent from 3-point range.

Gabrielle Bunch (Laurel, MS) – A 5’9” guard who played at Mississippi Valley State from 2022-2024.

Marissa Mandeldove (Lilburn, GA) – A 5’5” guard from Clark University, where she averaged 18 ppg in her three seasons for the Panthers, earning all SIAC honors her senior year.

The full 100th Anniversary Tour will continue onwards with Boston and Pittsburgh on Friday, December 26 and continue the roll out across 200+ domestic markets and 125+ markets internationally. Fans can also expect all-new surprises like the Golden Basketball by Spalding®, epic pre-game Magic Pass experiences, 100 Year limited edition merchandise and many other new innovations for the “Ambassadors of Basketball.” International markets such as France, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Mexico, and across Asia are just a few of the many locations the Harlem Globetrotters will be touring in winter of 2026 and running through the remainder of the year.

ABOUT THE WORLD-FAMOUS HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS™ / HERSCHEND ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS

Now entering their Centennial season, The Harlem Globetrotters™ are THE originators of applying sport to deliver goodwill, excitement, showmanship, and athleticism to a global audience every year. Since 1926, with a legacy of elite talent that has included many of the greatest stars of men’s and women’s basketball from HBCU’s to Division I, II, III, NAIA, The NBA, and the WNBA, the Globetrotters are the first team ever inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. They have utilized their talents to showcase their iconic brand of basketball to tens of millions in over 124 countries and territories across six continents.

Never ones to stop innovating, the award-winning organization, which currently holds an unprecedented 80+ Guinness World Records, the most of any professional sports team, has expanded its media footprint to make their content available to fans new and old on whatever platform they choose, from EMMY nominated broadcast shows, specials, and feature films, to their own FAST channel, as well as reimagining the memorabilia and collectible space through a new partnership with cllct, with uniforms and other special apparel created by legendary designer, Jeff Hamilton. Content partners include; Hidden Pictures, Vantage Pictures, Aspire TV, and Hearst Media Production Group; commercial partnerships and consumer products include Zara, EQL, IMG, Jerry Leigh, OVO, Shoe Palace, Philcos, and Excel Sports as well as the official ball partner, Spalding and Exxact Sports. Coined by the U.S. State Department in 1951 as Ambassadors of Goodwill, and now serving The Official Ambassadors of Goodwill for the United Nations as well, the team leverages their moniker to drive its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts globally around their strategic pillars of Health & Wellness, Education, and Community Empowerment. These efforts have yielded partnerships with the likes of the NBA Retired Players Association, Microsoft, U.S. State Department Sports Diplomacy, United Nations: Food & Agricultural Organization, and Operation Homefront.

For more information about the Harlem Globetrotters™ and the Tour, visit their official website: www.harlemglobetrotters.com.

FULL PHOTO SET OF ROOKIE PHOTOS

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