Pictured l-r: Ed Dahler [21], Kevin O’Shea, Don Rehfeldt [07], Sweetwater Clifton, Babe Pressley

Beginning on April 2, 1950, the Globetrotters compete in the inaugural World Series of Basketball tour against a team of College All-Americans. The All-American team included such stars as Bob Cousy, Paul Arizin and Kevin O'Shea and was led by coaching legends Ray Meyer and Clair Bee.

The Globetrotters finished the tour with an 11-7 record, as the 18-game tour, played in 17 major cities, and traversing 9,000 transcontinental miles, attracted an attendance total of 181,364.  The Globetrotters’ Marques Haynes and Arizin were named series MVPs for their respective teams.

The World Series of Basketball became an annual event for a dozen years, and at its peak, was the most popular basketball event in America, overshadowing the NBA Finals, as well as the NCAA and NIT tournaments.