How the Harlem Wizards built a 60-year basketball phenomenon

The Harlem Wizards haven’t lost a basketball game in several decades.

That’s not hyperbole. It’s also not really the point.

Because for generations of Long Islanders — kids, parents and grandparents who have packed elementary, middle and high school gyms — the Wizards have never been about the final score.

They are about the night your school gym truly came alive. The night your teachers dreamed of a monumental upset and ended up laughing at themselves. The night basketball felt silly — and at the same time spectacular.

For more than 60 years, the Harlem Wizards, founded back in 1962 by Howie Davis, have traveled the world blending basketball skill with comedy, community outreach and a fierce competitive edge.

Along the way, they’ve built one of the longest active winning streaks in sports history. But what has been equally impressive is the organization’s unusually deep, decades-long bond with communities on Long Island and across the country.

These days, the Wizards are led by Davis’ son, CEO Todd Davis, who grew up on hardwood courts around the world. He had a front row seat to seeing the Wizards become a staple of school assemblies, fundraisers and childhood memories.

“Long Island has always had a special place in our hearts. Some towns we visit year after year — the kids grow up, their parents come to the games, and even the grandparents end up in the crowd,” Davis said. “It’s multi-generational, and that makes every game memorable.”

Global stage, local heart

While Long Island has always been one of its home bases, the Wizards’ footprint is global. The organization has played over 10,000 games across 20-plus countries in five continents.

Davis recounted tours to China, Taiwan, Poland and even Turkmenistan, where the team faced local champions, professional players and teams of celebrities.

“China was amazing. The fans were incredible, so loud and enthusiastic. And the players there were skilled — it really challenged our guys to bring their best,” Davis said.

In Turkmenistan, the Wizards were invited to Ashgabat to perform at the Asian Indoor Games in 2017 and compete against national team players in a newly built 17,000-seat indoor stadium.

“We were the first American show team to play there,” Davis said. “The crowd loved it, and it was a real test for our players — both on the court and off.”

The trip came together in just three weeks during the team’s busiest month, March, when the Wizards typically play over 90 games.

In Taiwan, a memorable matchup with the league champions there had the Wizards trailing nearly the whole game. With the crowd roaring, Harlem rallied late in the fourth quarter to take a commanding lead, Davis recalled, and leave just enough time to show off the comedic and acrobatic flair that defines the team.

“One of our guys, Loonatik, locked down the three-point line, and we finally took the lead,” Davis said. “Then we put in Swoop, our first player for the Whiz Fit youth program, and the crowd went wild.”

Lloyd “Loonatik” Clinton has been a Wizard since 2007 and is wildly popular with the fans.

Dwayne “Swoop” Simpson, a former Harlem Globetrotter showman who joined the Wizards in 2007 is another crowd favorite. Standing six-foot-seven, Simpson’s blend of hoop skills, comedy and community outreach have made him one of the team’s most recognizable players from Miller Place to Malaysia.

“The thing I saw when I watched him was that he had that combination of creativity, enthusiasm and character,” Davis said. “He’s the one who invented our Whiz Fit school program. He brings warmth and connection, and fun and excitement.”

Back in the U.S., the Wizards once faced a team composed entirely of UConn alumni during a tournament in Connecticut. Jet-lagged from a long trip in China trip, the Wizards were only able to suit up six players.

Against the odds, two “secret weapons” — including a referee familiar with the team — helped the Wizards secure another improbable victory, Davis remembered.

Some, like Washington Bullets legend Elvin Hayes, toured before their NBA careers took off; others, like Boston Celtics point guard Nate “Tiny” Archibald, joined after their NBA days were over.

Hall of Famer Marques Haynes, after retiring from the Harlem Globetrotters, also toured with the Wizards.

Davis recalled watching Archibald turn a game around in Belgium.

“The Belgium team’s point guard was their best player, and he was kicking Archibald’s butt,” Davis said. “But then Tiny starts to play NBA defense. He took over because there’s a competitive factor and toughness that are sometimes beyond speed or athleticism. It was so fun watching him do his thing.”

Current Wizards include streetball legend Arnold “A-Train” Bernard, a former Globetrotter and a Wizard since 1999, and Ukrainian dunker extraordinaire Dmytro “Smoove” Kryvenko.

“When you have the right people together — players who enjoy the game, enjoy each other and enjoy communities having a blast — it’s magic,” Davis said.

Even “show” games feature serious skills. The Wizards’ roster has over the years competed against professional and semi-pro teams globally.

“We love the Globetrotters, but our focus has always been on schools, communities and making sure every game is personal,” Davis stressed. “We want kids to see themselves in the players, and we want teachers and parents to be part of the fun.”

The intimacy of the Wizards’ games makes a difference.

“What is the best size audience for a show basketball game?” Davis asked, before quickly answering. “A thousand people. Because when you get in our environment with a thousand people, every kid can see their teachers playing, and they get to meet and talk to the Wizards at the game.”

“We do about 50 to 60 schools a year with Whiz Fit, plus our games. Each visit is part show, part celebration, part fundraising effort,” Davis said.

In recent seasons, the Wizards have raised millions annually for schools and non-profits. The Whiz Fit program, created during COVID when players wanted to give kids something fun and active to do, has become a major fundraising success.

The winning streak is indeed real

The Wizards’ last official loss was in 1987 in Poland, where Zagiris Kaunas of Lithuania narrowly defeated them.

“We never want to embarrass anyone, but we also want to play at the highest level. That’s what keeps the streak alive,” Davis said.

Howie Davis founded the Harlem Wizards with a simple but powerful idea: basketball could be at the same time elite, accessible, competitive and kind.

It’s been Todd Davis’ mission to keep alive the sense of community, excitement and joy that his dad began more than six decades ago.

Long Island has long been perhaps the Wizards’ densest footprint.

Hicksville, Huntington, Patchogue, Smithtown, Levittown, Mineola, Greenport — nearly every school district has hosted a game.

In March, the Wizards will play at Sayville, Rocky Point, Longwood, Herricks and Farmingdale high schools, among other schools in Suffolk and Nassau.

“My father’s number one thing priority was we are going to give people an experience that they never forget,” Davis said. “If a player would not sign every autograph that was asked, they’re gone.”

That commitment has created multi-generational loyalty. Davis recalled players who came up to him years later with photos of themselves as children at Wizards assemblies.

One woman who played for the team showed Davis a photo of herself spinning a basketball at a Wizards event as a child.

It’s this experience that has been repeated hundreds of times across the decades, spanning towns, school districts and generations.

The Harlem Wizards may never again lose a game, but what they’ve really won all these years is trust — from parents, schools and communities who’ve come to know exactly what they’re getting when the team rolls into town.

_{Top: Jonathan “Top Flight” Hevalow woos a high school crowd with a slam dunk for the Harlem Wizards (courtesy photo).}