Meet the Harlem Globetrotters' ‘Sweet' legend who continues to impact the franchise

New York Times

12-02-2025

(Editor's note: This week, in honor of Black History Month, The Athletic will highlight the Harlem Globetrotters and their contributions to basketball, vision for entertainment and overall commitment to goodwill. This series will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 16.)
Louis Dunbar II was about 10 when he first began to understand that his father was a big deal to so many people.
'Do you know who your father is?'
'Do you know what your father's done?'
Dunbar's replies always were typical of someone that age. He knew his father played basketball. He knew his father was really good at the sport.
But did 10-year-old Dunbar know exactly how big of a deal his father was?
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'That was just Dad to me,' Dunbar recalled. 'But that was around the age that I really realized how much impact he's had and just how great of a person he is. Everybody that I meet or encounter who has met my dad has nothing but positivity and joy whenever they speak about him.'
His father is Lou Dunbar, better known as 'Sweet' Lou Dunbar of the Harlem Globetrotters. Dunbar is one of eight Globetrotters to have his jersey number retired after playing 27 seasons with the Globetrotters. Dunbar is in his 48th year with the franchise, now as director of player personnel and a coach.
Tonight, we retired Sweet Lou Dunbar's No. 41 jersey. He is the 8th Globetrotter in our 93-year history to receive this honor. #Legend pic.twitter.com/ALSovTFx1Z
— Harlem Globetrotters (@Globies) February 16, 2019
Before his lengthy career as a Globetrotter, Sweet Lou was Louisiana's Mr. Basketball, a star big at Webster High School in Minden, La. He went on to play college basketball at the University of Houston from 1972 to 1975, where he averaged 22.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. He was inducted into the Houston Hall of Honor in 2008.
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At 6-foot-9, Sweet Lou was a walking highlight. He was one of the team's most popular showmen, a quick-witted comedy genius who also happened to be a basketball unicorn in the 1970s. Few players his size not named Magic Johnson handled the ball and ran an offense like him. Sweet Lou was one of the first big men to play point guard for a major university, as he suited up for the University of Houston from 1972 to 1975.
Sweet Lou was a fourth-round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1975 NBA Draft, but he never played a game in the league. He played professionally overseas for Swiss basketball team SP Federale Lugano from 1975-77 and won a Swiss Basketball League championship in 1976.
Dunbar played for the Globetrotters during the latter years of Meadowlark Lemon and Marques Haynes. He was there to play alongside Fred 'Curly' Neal and Hubert 'Geese' Ausbie. He is the only living Globetrotter with his jersey number (technically) retired, as it happened in February 2019.
And when he wasn't on the court, Sweet Lou was showing off his charm and wit in a variety of television roles. He's appeared on 'The Love Boat,' 'The White Shadow,' ABC's 'Wide World of Sports' and 'The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island.'
Basketball has been a promising ticket for Sweet Lou. It also has created a deeper connection between father and son who already share so much. Sweet Lou wore No. 41 playing for the Globetrotters. That once-retired number has regained a home on the court, as his son — who has the same name and affectionally is known on the Globetrotters circuit as 'Sweet Lou II' — is in his seventh season with the franchise.
'I've never really been nervous doing what I do, but sometimes I'm a little on edge when he's out there doing his thing — because I want him to do good,' Sweet Lou said of his son. 'Being Dad, you don't want to tell him all the time, but I think he knows.'
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Globetrotters of the past say the son has the same wit and personality as his father. Or, as Sweet Lou puts it, they always have an answer for everything.
But how does that work in family settings? Sweet Lou said he, his son and his daughter, Ashlynn, a former college volleyball player at San Diego State and Oklahoma, crack most of the jokes. His wife, Victoria, usually is the 'stern one' who has to be the voice of reason.
Growing up with a father known for showmanship and basketball skills made for a different kind of expectation for Sweet Lou II. It wasn't just about the basics of the game; there was always the question of how many tricks he could do with the ball.
'I was probably like seven or eight (years old), and (people) expected me to do these tricks and stuff. I'm like, 'I can't do that stuff,'' Lou II said. 'I don't know how they do that stuff yet … but I figured it out along the way.'
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Dunbar jokingly said his son had a hoop in his room before he was born, but said there was never any pressure for him to be a Globetrotter — or even a basketball player. Sweet Lou II's first sport of choice, like his father's, was baseball. He said he was never pressed to play basketball, but he found himself to be a decent player.
Sweet Lou II, a 6-3 guard, was a district MVP and Galveston (Texas) County Player of the Year at Clear Falls High School in League City, Texas, just outside of Houston. He was an honorable-mention All-Sooner Athletic Conference selection as a junior during the 2016-17 season at NAIA Oklahoma City University, averaging 15.2 points per game and shooting 45 percent from the floor, 44 percent from the 3-point line and 79 percent from the free-throw line. Sweet Lou once had a game against the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma where he dropped 50 points, sank 11 3-pointers and hit 14 of 18 from the field.
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It was during his senior season when Sweet Lou II began thinking about following in his father's footsteps to become a Globetrotter.
'Opportunity came,' Sweet Lou II said. 'I always wanted to travel … it was just a blessing. I've been to over 30 different countries so far in my career. I've loved every moment of it. I think it's been the greatest decision, and I really love what I do every single day.'
Sweet Lou II being a Globetrotter has sparked a fun rivalry within the family. Sweet Lou concedes that his son has a deeper shooting range. Sweet Lou II said there are some things on the court his father did that he won't be able to duplicate because of his father's size. Plus, his hands are not as big.
Sweet Lou sends videos to his old teammates of Sweet Lou II during the Globetrotters' famous Magic Circle, when players gather at midcourt before a game to show off their ballhandling.
'They say, 'He's better than you,' and I'll say, 'Man, you better be quiet,'' Sweet Lou said. 'He's become a really, really good ballhandler, and he's becoming a Globetrotter if he keeps it up. I just think he needs to work on a few things to become a showman. He is a showman in his own right, but he just needs more things to become a showman in his own right.'
Sweet Lou II admittedly is still building his repertoire of tricks. (To be fair, his father has a sizable head start in that part of the game.) He also has gained a deeper appreciation for why his father was on the road so much. Perhaps most importantly, Sweet Lou II said he's found the same joy in making fans happy that his father had for nearly five decades.
And Sweet Lou is happy watching his son enjoy the game.
'To get a chance to share it with him, and to get a chance to see some of his good memories that he's creating himself, I'm going to relish this,' Sweet Lou said. 'I'm going to enjoy this ride. I'm wishing the best for him, and I think he's on the right journey. He's on the right path to be a good Globetrotter.
'I mean, I think he's a good Globetrotter, but he can be one of the all-time greats.'
Sweet Lou then smirked. Better than himself?
'I don't know about that part, you know?' he said.
(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; photos: Ethan Miller and Fairfax Media Archives / Getty Images)