NBA legend Kenny Smith to host Harlem Globetrotters show
September 17, 2024
Former NBA star and current TNT Sports commentator Kenny Smith joins as host for Season 3 of the Emmy nominated series Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Forward. The 30-minute weekly series, produced in an exclusive partnership with Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG) and Herschend Entertainment Studios, premieres in the US on October 5th on NBC’s ‘The More You Know’ educational/informational (E/I) programming block as well as Season 2 of Harlem Globetrotters: Ganando Con La Comunidad premiering on Telemundo.
Smith is an NBA studio analyst for the Emmy Award–winning studio show, Inside the NBA. He is also an analyst for TNT Sports and CBS Sports’ combined coverage of the NCAA March Madness Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. During his NBA career, Smith won two World Championships with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995, and played 10 seasons for the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks, before retiring.
Since 1951, the Harlem Globetrotters have been recognised by the US State Department as “ambassadors of extraordinary good will”. The series honours and highlights local people and community organisations supporting extraordinary causes across their CSR pillars: education, health and wellness, and community empowerment. Smith and the Globetrotters will spotlight philanthropic groups including Maine’s Camp Sunshine, which provides a respite for children suffering from life threatening conditions; Globetrotters guard, Rock ‘Wham’ Middleton hosts a field trip for students from his former elementary school to Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts — with a surprise visit from Fraggle Rock characters; and the team lends their magic to welcome home the 419th Fighter Wing at Utah’s Hill Air Force Base.
“The Harlem Globetrotters have been a part of my lifelong basketball journey,” Smith said. “At 11 years old, I won the Globetrotters shooting competition at halftime of the Knicks game. Twenty years later, I participated as the GM for the Washington Generals. Shortly after retirement, I hosted Globetrotters tryouts in Houston for the team. Now I have the pleasure of narrating this compelling and dynamic series. The Globetrotters remind us that basketball is more than just a game; it’s about bringing people together and having fun.”
“Kenny and the Harlem Globetrotters are an epic matchup of two iconic basketball brands that will resonate with viewers and attract a new generation of fans,” said Bryan Curb, HMPG EVP and general manager, education/information.
“The Harlem Globetrotters, HMPG, NBC, and now Kenny Smith make for a powerful starting lineup. It’s one that we think will resonate with fans, our partners and the larger sports community,” added Keith Dawkins, president of Harlem Globetrotters & Herschend Entertainment Studios.