Nate Branch is an American
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
player. After a high school career at
Ravenswood High School in
East Palo Alto, California
East Palo Alto ( ; abbreviated E.P.A.) is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of East Palo Alto was 30,034. It is situated on the San Francisco Peninsula, roughly halfway between the c ...
,
he played for
University of Nebraska
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
and later with the
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...
from 1967 to 1983.
Branch was drafted by the ABA's Oakland Oaks in 1967, and offered a contract by the NBA's San Diego Rockets in the same year. Following an injury at Oakland's camp, Branch returned home and eventually signed with the Globetrotters.
During his 15 years as a member of the legendary basketball team, Branch appeared with the Globetrotters on such television shows as White Shadow, Gilligan's Island, Wide World of Sports, The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine, Super Globetrotters (Nate was "Fluid Man"), and many more. He was a member of the Globetrotters in 1982 when they became the first professional sports organization to be awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Today, Branch is retired from the game, but continues to perform as a professional comedian and musician, and assists at basketball clinics for children. In 2022, his autobiography (co-written by Barry Kienzle), titled Playing My Way Through Life, was published.
References
External links
Official Nate Branch website*
1940s births
Living people
20th-century American sportsmen
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Nebraska
Harlem Globetrotters players
Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball players
Oakland Oaks draft picks
Year of birth missing (living people)
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