Jolette Law’s First Job Wasn’t Just Unique — It Was Iconic
Most people can’t claim their first professional job involved wearing the legendary red, white, and blue of the Harlem Globetrotters.
Jolette Law can.
Long before she became one of Dawn Staley’s trusted assistants at South Carolina—joining the Gamecocks’ staff in 2017—Law spent years entertaining global audiences as a Globetrotter in the early 1990s.
As the Globetrotters make two tour stops in South Carolina this month, Law reflected on her unforgettable path from Iowa standout to world-traveling showwoman.
A Missed Team USA Opportunity Opens an Unexpected Door
Law’s break into Globetrotters fame came right after her All-Big Ten career at Iowa and a disappointing cut from the U.S. national team trials for the Pan American Games.
She thought her shot at playing on a big stage had slipped away—until a Globetrotters representative who watched the trials reached out.
“I thought it was a joke at first,” Law told The State.
Fresh off being cut from Team USA for the first time in her life, she went home only to receive a surprising invitation:
“They were like, ‘We want to fly you out to Orlando, Florida, to try out for the Globetrotters.’ And I’m like, ‘What?!’”
With no background in spinning balls on fingertips or performing classic Globetrotters tricks, Law hesitated. But the team reassured her that her energy and style would translate.
Soon, she found herself at a two-week camp battling men and women alike for a roster spot. The tryout felt natural—just basketball mixed with some new stunts.
After making it through several rounds, Law earned a contract. She phoned her “agents”—her parents—for approval, and signed.
“Ended up signing the contract and played four years with them,” she said.
“Traveled the world. Had an opportunity to be a queen amongst a lot of kings.”
The Reality Behind the Globetrotter Life
From 1991–1994, Law crisscrossed the globe. But behind the fun, she said the schedule was exhausting.
“We went to Japan — you are in Japan for 30 days, and you’re performing for 30 days, practicing in between,” she said.
Their days were relentless: Tokyo one night, Osaka the next. Europe, Asia, Australia—everywhere.
Despite not being a flashy trick artist when she joined, Law carved out her identity as a dribbler, juggler, and long-range shooter. Her teammates admired the smoothness of her game, dubbing her Jolette “Jazzy” Law, a nickname that originated at Iowa.
It was, as she put it, “a lot of on-the-job training.”
Her teammates instilled a crucial lesson:
“Once those people bought that ticket and the lights turn on, you’ve got to be able to perform.”
Law was also the only woman on the roster at the time—a role she took seriously. Though Lynette Woodward was the first woman signed back in 1985, Law embraced being one of the pioneering few.
“Every time there’s an interview, I had to do it because I’m the only girl… I had to always be on. So that taught me a lot.”
She looks back fondly on her teammates, the Wheaties box appearances, and even a cameo in MC Hammer’s “2 Legit 2 Quit” music video, where she was the only woman featured among sports legends like Isiah Thomas, Deion Sanders, and Wayne Gretzky.
“That made me proud that I was the only woman in that video other than his dancers.”
Transitioning From Performer to Coach
Law eventually realized it was time to move on. Encouraged by her mentor, C. Vivian Stringer, she retired from the Globetrotters in 1994. Though she initially worried she wasn’t ready to coach, she accepted an assistant position at Ball State.
She recalls telling then-coach Robyn Markey:
“I’m like, ‘But I don’t really know what’s going on.’”
Her Globetrotter teammates kept her grounded:
“You learned how to become a Globetrotter. So that should be easy.”
Law spent one year at Ball State before launching a more than two-decade coaching journey that included Rutgers, Tennessee, and a head coaching role at Illinois from 2007–2012. She joined South Carolina in 2017.
“My on-the-job training with the Globetrotters helped me become the coach I am today,” she said.
Even now, every once in a while a player discovers her Globetrotter past and reacts with surprise.
“Oh my God, coach. So that was you?” they’ll say when the Globetrotters visit Colonial Life Arena.
Law laughs it off—she’s a coach now. But her days dazzling crowds around the world remain an unforgettable chapter.
