PEORIA — The history of the Harlem Globetrotters can’t be written without mentioning Curley “Boo” Johnson.
As the Globetrotters celebrate their 100th anniversary with a world tour, the 1982 Peoria High grad was a part of “the world-famous ambassadors of goodwill” for 18 years. His journey is part of the team’s lore — from earning a spot on the team, to seeing the world, to making a once-in-a-lifetime shot.
“Not to sound cliche,” Johnson said, “but the way I look at it now, it seemed like it happened fast. I didn’t play my career like that. I tried to enjoy the moment.
“… I loved it and I tried to figure out how long I could stay early on. My goal initially was to play 10 years … My style was reminiscence of the past, but I had to bring some new funk to the equation, and I think that’s why I stayed as long as I did.”
Growing up Globetrotter
No one seemed to spend more time around the Globetrotters as a kid than Johnson. CBJ’s family would host the team when in Peoria because his father, Curley Johnson Sr., played against them for the Chicago Brown Bombers.
Globetrotter legends Curly Neal, Bobby Joe Mason and Meadowlark Lemon became annual staples at the Johnson dinner table on their trips through the River City.
So, fast forward to Johnson’s junior season at Loras College.
Little did Johnson know that Globetrotters general manager Joe Anzivino was making the first of two visits to Dubuque, Iowa. Anzivino had heard from Loras coach Mike Jaskulski about Johnson’s ballhandling wizardry, scouting Johnson again his senior year.
From there, Johnson received a training camp invitation during the fall of 1988. He then beat out 55 other hopefuls for a spot he held until his retirement in 2007.
“It came full circle,” CBJ said, adding, “Making the team meant something different for me as opposed to maybe others because I had ties to them, I knew them.
“I knew the history. I paid homage to the old guys, the founding fathers.”
Traveling the world
During his nearly two-decade career with the Globetrotters, Johnson visited 94 countries and met with some of history’s most memorable figures.
“The World’s Greatest Dribbler” got an audience with Pope John Paul II, shook hands with Nelson Mandela, met with Mother Teresa and received a Colombian flag from Pablo Escobar. He even played 1-on-1 against Michael Jordan.
“A wide-eyed adventure,” Johnson said of his global travels, going to 20 new countries in his first year. “It was never boring, because every place we went was different.”
Johnson saw the Eiffel Tower, stood in Red Square, visited the Berlin Wall and climbed the stairs of the Great Wall of China.
“I had a chance to meet some of these extraordinary people,” he said. “I got to see what there was to see.”
‘Greatest Globetrotter’ shot
One trip to Atlanta in 2004 proved to be especially memorable not only for Johnson, but also the Globetrotters.
He took a pass from the ref with his back to the basket and kicked it up into the air. Sure enough, the ball came down straight through the hoop for a nothing-but-net swish.
“I’m looking at (the ball) coming down,” CBJ said, “and it didn’t even touch the rim. I threw my hands up and go, ‘It’s what I do.’ ”
Johnson says that was first and only time he ever attempted that shot because he wouldn’t be able to top it.
On YouTube, it’s labeled “Greatest Globetrotter shot all time” and has garnered 19.1 million views as of January 2026. Just imagine how viral that shot would be with today’s social media.
“There were certain things that I would do,” Johnson said, “I wish I had on film, but this actually was.”
Today, CBJ lives in Scottsdale with his wife, Michelle, but makes monthly trips back to Illinois.
He runs the area’s largest and most competitive youth basketball camp with campers coming from 122 communities. This August Johnson will return to Washington for the 18th year of his annual Skills for Life Academy for boys and 14th summer for girls.
Johnson follows all his campers and camp “coaches,” posting their achievements on his camp Facebook page.
“We call it ‘the family,’ ” he said. “This is bigger than I ever thought it would be and it’s still growing.”
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Story of the Harlem Globetrotters can’t be told without this Peorian
Reporting by Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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