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Sonny Boswell

1919 – 1964

American basketball player

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About Sonny Boswell

Lived 1919 – 1964 (aged 45). Sonny Boswell was an American basketball player.

Wyatt "Sonny" Boswell (May 19, 1919 – October 19, 1964) was an early African American professional basketball player. He was born in Greenville, Mississippi and grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where he attended Scott High School. He played for the Harlem Globetrotters from 1939 to 1941 and again from 1943 to 1944.

Boswell was known for taking long distance trick shots to entertain the fans. Abe Saperstein, the manager of the Globetrotters, described Boswell as "one of the great long shot artists of his day". In 1940, Boswell was named MVP of the World Professional Basketball Tournament after scoring eleven points in the Globetrotters' 31–29 championship win over the Chicago Bruins.

During the 1942–43 season, Boswell played for the Chicago Studebaker Flyers of the National Basketball League. He was one of a group of former Harlem Globetrotters who joined the previously all-white NBL to replace players who had recently been drafted for World War II. He later became the only African American player in the league's history to be named a member of an All-NBL Team following the season's conclusion. Over the years, Boswell also appeared in games for the New York Renaissance and the Chicago Monarchs.

After his basketball career, Boswell settled in Chicago, where he managed the Pershing Hotel and later owned his own bowling alley, called Sonny Boswell's South Park Bowl. He died of a heart attack at age 45 in 1964. Boswell would eventually be honored posthumously into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022 for his playing days.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Scott High School
Awards
All-National Basketball League (United States) Team

People in Sonny Boswell's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Sonny Boswell's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Sonny Boswell?

American basketball player (1919–1964)

When was Sonny Boswell born?

Sonny Boswell was born on 19 May 1919 in Greenville.

When did Sonny Boswell die?

Sonny Boswell died on 19 October 1964 in Chicago.

What was Sonny Boswell's occupation?

Sonny Boswell was a basketball player.

What nationality was Sonny Boswell?

Sonny Boswell was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Sonny Boswell

· Wikidata: Q7562005

· DBpedia: Sonny Boswell

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Sonny Boswell. https://biography.guide/sonny-boswell/

MLA: "Sonny Boswell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/sonny-boswell/.

Chicago: "Sonny Boswell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/sonny-boswell/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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