Harlem Globetrotter from Carnegie comes from family of Hall of Famers
CARNEGIE, Pa. (KDKA) -- From playing basketball at Carlynton High School to putting a new spin on the game entirely when he joined the Harlem Globetrotters -- a team that combines athleticism with theater comedy and tricks -- Robert Aston found his way to the national stage.
"The owner said, 'We're real interested in signing you. Can you leave for Mexico tonight?' This is about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and here I am, a kid from Carnegie, Pennsylvania," Aston said.
He played next to some of the greats like Curly Neal and Meadowlark Lemon.
"I was playing for the Globetrotters. It was unbelievable. And that experience took me to every corner of the world," Aston said.
Aston was recruited while attending the University of Toledo. When he joined the exhibition basketball team, he continued to score big.
In 1940, the Harlem Globetrotters won the National Professional Championship Tournament. In 1968, Aston played on the team that transitioned the Globetrotters from sports to entertainment.
"So it was expected in our family that you were going to be more than just an average athlete. It started with my Uncle George," he said.
Way before Jackie Robinson, the family believes George Aston Jr. was the first African American to be photographed wearing a major league baseball uniform. He was an equipment manager for the Pirates. So Aston was no stranger to making his mark. His family has been doing that since the early 1800s.
"So we have a tradition in our family. It's rather unique and that is that we have five Hall of Famers in our family. I'm a double recipient of the Hall of Fame," he said, from when he attended college and for his time with the Globetrotters.
He's a trailblazer from right here who has made his mark on the game of basketball.
"When you watch the Harlem Globetrotters still using the tricks from the 40s, when you watch them today, then you watch the NBA, they look like the Harlem Globetrotters," he said.