Globetrotters' Robert 'Showboat' Hall dies

DETROIT (AP) Former Harlem Globetrotter Robert ''Showboat'' Hall, who spent nearly three decades with the team, has died in his hometown of Detroit.

The Globetrotters said Hall died Wednesday. A cause of death and his age were not immediately available.

Hall attended and played basketball at the former Miller High School in Detroit. He joined the Globetrotters in 1949, and in 1955 succeeded Reece ''Goose'' Tatum as the team's primary showman. Hall became player-coach in 1968.

The team says the 6-foot 2-inch Hall played in over 5,000 games before his 1974 retirement.

Harlem Globetrotters Chief Executive Kurt Schneider said in a release Friday that ''Hall's dedication to the team, to his craft and to bringing joy to families around the world is matched by few people in the history of the organization.''