NBA Legend Kenny Smith Joins Season 3 of Emmy® Nominated Series Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Forward as New Host

Season 3 Premieres on NBC; Season 2 of Harlem Globetrotters: Ganando Con La Comunidad Premieres on Telemundo; Saturday, October 5^th

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Former NBA star and current TNT Sports commentator Kenny Smith joins as host for Season 3 of the Emmy^® nominated series Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Forward. The 30-minute weekly series, produced in an exclusive partnership with Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG) and Herschend Entertainment Studios, premieres Saturday, October 5 on NBC's "The More You Know" educational/informational (E/I) programming block as well as Season 2 of Harlem Globetrotters: Ganando Con La Comunidad premiering on Telemundo (times may vary; check local listings).

Smith is an NBA studio analyst for the Emmy^® Award–winning studio show, Inside the NBA. He is also an analyst for TNT Sports and CBS Sports' combined coverage of the NCAA March Madness Division I Men's Basketball Championship.  During his NBA career, Smith won two World Championships with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995, and played 10 seasons for the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, and Atlanta Hawks, before retiring.

Since 1951, the Harlem Globetrotters have been recognized by the U.S. State Department as "ambassadors of extraordinary good will." The series honors and highlights local people and community organizations supporting extraordinary causes across their CSR pillars: education, health and wellness, and community empowerment.  Smith and the Globetrotters will spotlight philanthropic groups including Maine's Camp Sunshine, which provides a respite for children suffering from life threatening conditions; Globetrotters guard, Rock "Wham" Middleton hosts a field trip for students from his former elementary school to Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts -- with a surprise visit from "Fraggle Rock" characters; and the team lends their magic to welcome home the 419th Fighter Wing at Utah's Hill Air Force Base. 

"The Harlem Globetrotters have been a part of my lifelong basketball journey," Smith said.  "At 11 years old, I won the Globetrotters shooting competition at halftime of the Knicks game.  Twenty years later, I participated as the GM for the Washington Generals.  Shortly after retirement, I hosted Globetrotters tryouts in Houston for the team.  Now I have the pleasure of narrating this compelling and dynamic series. The Globetrotters remind us that basketball is more than just a game; it's about bringing people together and having fun."

"Kenny and the Harlem Globetrotters are an epic matchup of two iconic basketball brands that will resonate with viewers and attract a new generation of fans," said Bryan Curb, HMPG EVP and general manager, education/information.  

"The Harlem Globetrotters, HMPG, NBC, and now Kenny Smith make for a powerful starting lineup.  It's one that we think will resonate with fans, our partners and the larger sports community," said Keith Dawkins, president of Harlem Globetrotters & Herschend Entertainment Studios.

Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Forward averages more than 900,000 total weekly viewers across all platforms. The series is also available on NBC.com and NBC VOD and has earned two Daytime Emmy^® nominations, five Cynopsis Awards and 25 national Telly Awards. 

Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Forward is part of HMPG's current program portfolio comprised of more than 30 weekly series and hundreds of hours of content annually on leading broadcast networks and station groups and on connected TV and streaming platforms.  It has a library of more than 4,000 hours of programming and its content can be found in 97 countries.

About the World-Famous Harlem Globetrotters™ / Herschend Entertainment Studios
The Harlem Globetrotters™ are THE originators of basketball style; captured by their dynamic athleticism, unique skill and historical influence on the modern game of basketball. Since 1926, the Globetrotters, proud members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, have used their legendary global tour to showcase their iconic brand of basketball to tens of millions in over 124 countries and territories across six continents.  They have expanded the brand by coming back to network television for the first time in 40 years with their Emmy nominated NBC series "Harlem Globetrotters: Play it Forward" which also airs on Telemundo as "Harlem Globetrotters: Ganando Con La Comunidad."  Content partners include Hidden Pictures, Atmosphere TV, and Hearts Media Production Group; consumer partnerships include, Sprayground, Undercrwn, Macys, Hybrid; and additional partnerships include our official tour partner Jersey Mikes, official ball partner, Spalding, Viral Nation, Hoopculture, and Citi.  Coined by the U.S. State Department in 1951 as Ambassadors of Goodwill, the team leverages their moniker to drive its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts around their strategic pillars of Health & Wellness, Education, and Community Empowerment.  These efforts have yielded partnership with the likes of Microsoft, U.S. State Department Sports Diplomacy, The National Archives, 'Great Assist' in partnership with Jersey Mike's Subs, Campus Multimedia Court of Creativity, and Comic Relief Red Nose Day. For more information about the Harlem Globetrotters™ and the Tour, visit the Globetrotters' official website: www.harlemglobetrotters.com. The Harlem Globetrotters™ is a subsidiary of Herschend, the largest family-owned themed attractions company.

About Hearst Media Production Group 
Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG), a business unit of Hearst Television, is an independent producer and distributor of original programming for TV stations, broadcast and cable networks and streaming services. HMPG produces hundreds of hours of programming annually across linear, streaming, digital and social media platforms for domestic and international distribution in nearly 100 countries.  Its popular shows include the Emmy^® Award-winning educational/informational (E/I) programming blocks airing weekends nationwide including "Weekend Adventure," on ABC stations; "CBS WKND," on the CBS Network; "The More You Know," on the NBC Network; "One Magnificent Morning," on the CW Network; "Mi Telemundo" on the Telemundo Network and "Go Time" on independent stations. HMPG also produces and/or distributes a diverse slate of other programming and content including Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, America's #1 nationally syndicated public affairs news magazine; Consumer Reports TV, and the company's dedicated FAST channels Xplore, The Jack Hanna Channel and Rovr Pets, available on some of the most popular smart TVs and streaming platforms.  HMPG has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Charlotte.  HMPG is represented by United Talent Agency.

SOURCE Hearst Media Production Group, LLC