This is a black and white photograpic print of Joseph Lyles dribbling a basketball, ca. 1952. Lyles is wearing a New York Celtics uniform, knee pads and white basketball shoes. Lyles was a member of the U.S. All Stars and the New York Celtics. This team and the Harlem Globetrotters were the first professional basketball teams to ever tour the globe.
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The Harlem Globetrotters were celebrating their 25th anniversary in 1952 by touring the World. They played in 44 countries in 168 days and covered 58,849 miles! Lyles was born on Oct. 28, 1929. He died on November 13, 2012 at the age of 83. This photograph was most likely used as a promotional photograph for the tour. An example can be seen in this page from a program during the tour: http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/11161 . Lyles coached and taught at Washington and Lee University for 50 years. He was also a minor league baseball player and professional basketball player who toured with the Harlem Globetrotters on their 1952 World Tour. In 1958, Lyles earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Springfield College and a Master’s Degree in 1959.
