Sexual harassment lawsuit against Harlem Globetrotters

Clocker is in his 70s and Hopkins is in her 20s, according to the lawsuit filed June 4 in federal court in Atlanta. Hopkins also claimed Clocker told her he was an FBI agent and would monitor her phone and analyze her body language to determine if she was lying.

“Hopkins was terrified to tell anyone at the Globetrotters what Clocker was doing because she believed he was with the FBI and was monitoring her phone. She believed he would take revenge on her and destroy her dream of playing for the Globetrotters,” the lawsuit states.

The Globetrotters did not immediately respond to questions about the case. The team first signed a female player in 1985. There are currently six female Globetrotters.

Hopkins currently plays professional basketball in Brazil. Her lawsuit states that she intends to return to the United States and wants to be rehired as a Globetrotter.

She claims that the organization and other coaches knew about Clocker’s inappropriate behavior toward female players and staff, but he continued to serve as the tour’s scouting director and general manager. Clocker has been with the team for 14 seasons, according to the Globetrotters’ website.

“When a new player joined the team, Hopkins overheard one of the long-time players telling another player to warn the new player to beware of Al (Clocker),” the lawsuit states. “Hopkins learned that Clocker was treating another player in a similar manner to her. During the time Clocker was employed by the Globetrotters, he had sexual relations with female players.”

Hopkins said Clocker told her he would miss the success and heights she could have achieved through a relationship with him. She said her contract was not renewed for arbitrary reasons after she rebuffed his sexual advances.

General manager Barry Hardy told Hopkins in July 2023 that she would be fired for failing to learn the “slide dribble” and for not getting permission to use a photo of the Globetrotters on a flyer for a basketball camp, the complaint says.

Hopkins said Clocker told her several times that she didn’t need to do the slide dribble, a particularly difficult trick that most players don’t master. She said she was the only player kicked off the team for not learning the trick.

Clocker also assured Hopkins that he would make sure she followed the team’s branding rules, the lawsuit says. Hopkins said she told Hardy that she had received permission for the photo and that he laughed at her when she tried to set up a meeting to discuss Clocker’s behavior.

“Clocker and the Globetrotters retaliated against Hopkins for her refusal to enter into a personal, romantic relationship with Clocker by not renewing her contract in violation of federal law,” the complaint states.

Civil lawsuits alleging sexual harassment, sexual discrimination and retaliation are being filed against the Globetrotters and its affiliates Herschend Entertainment Studios LLC and Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation.

Hopkins is seeking unspecified compensation, including back pay and benefits.