James "Twiggy" Sanders

One of the best known and greatest Showmen of all time, James "Twiggy" Sanders was the 27th person in the Globetrotters’ history to receive the "Legends" honor, joining the ranks of other Showmen like Reece "Goose" Tatum, Hubert "Geese" Ausbie and "Sweet" Lou Dunbar, who helped make the Globetrotters what they are today.

A native of Raleigh, Sanders was a standout at Ligon High School, where he was all-conference, all-state and All-American in 1970, and was also named the Wake County Player of the Year. He continued his education and basketball career at Johnson C. Smith University, earning a spot on the CIAA All-Tournament team his junior and senior year. Nicknamed "Twiggy" for his lean build, Sanders played with the Globetrotters from 1974 until 1991. During his tenure with the Ambassadors of Goodwill^TM, Sanders traveled more than 75,000 miles to over 100 countries on six continents.

Following his Globetrotter career, Sanders continued to be involved in the game he loved, but this time as a coach. He has coached at Bonner Academy in Raleigh, Morris Brown College in Atlanta, the Raleigh Cougars of the United States Basketball League, and with the ABA’s Maryland Nighthawks, a team that he guided to the semi-finals in the 2004-05 season. Sanders was also an assistant men’s basketball coach at Shaw University, three blocks from where he grew up in Raleigh. Sanders was honored in his hometown on March 23, 2007, at the RBC Center.