OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Harlem Globetrotter star and Oklahoma native Marques Haynes has died at age 89.
The Globetrotters said Haynes died Friday in Plano, Texas of natural causes.
Haynes grew up in Sand Springs and attended Langston University — where he caught the eye of Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein during a game in 1946 in which Langston defeated the Globetrotters. He joined the Globetrotters in 1947 after graduating from Langston and played for the team until 1953 and again from 1972 to 1979.
Haynes was often called the greatest dribbler in basketball history and in 1998 he became the first player inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a Globetrotter.
Funeral services are pending.