Sonny Boswell

Wyatt “Sonny” Boswell started playing professional basketball in 1937 for Jesse Owens’ Olympians. He was just 18 years old. Boswell fashioned himself into one of the game’s all-time great shooters making him a wanted man on the independent and barnstorming circuits. His prowess from the field earned him a spot on the Harlem Globetrotters in 1938 where he led the high-octane attack. In March of 1940, the Trotters faced the New York Rens, another all-Black squad, in the World Professional Basketball Tournament for only the second time in history. The Trotters were seeking revenge for a loss at the hands of the Rens the year before, and Boswell delivered the defining moment. With the game tied at 36, Boswell stepped to the charity stripe and calmly sank the free throw to go up by one. The Trotters won the game and went on to capture the tournament crown. Boswell later played for the Rens, helped integrate the NBL with the Chicago Studebaker Flyers, and played in seven consecutive World Pro Tournaments.