[3] By 1933 Jackie Bethards was commonly called the "Clown Prince of basketball",[4] a label that came to be identified with the Harlem Globetrotters' biggest names like Goose Tatum and Meadowlark Lemon.
"[6] While he undeniably was a star with the Rens, earning the moniker "ShowBoat," [7] Bethards only played for the club in 1935–36 and 1936–37, before being replaced in a sense by high school-to-pros phenom Johnny Isaacs.
Cooper once described a memorable 4th-quarter duel in 1928 between Bethards, playing for the Philadelphia Giants, and the Rens' star guard Clarence "Fats" Jenkins, saying "We gave the ball to Jackie.
[10] That same year the Chicago Defender's Dan Burley wrote in his trademark homey fashion: "Influence of Bethards' style of basketball playing was shown in the Gladiator/Rival Dog Food clash at the Armory.
[11] Two days after Burley's column appeared the Sheboygan Press again weighed in, saying "The clown of the Rens is Jackie Bethards, who travels around the floor so fast fans only see a dark streak flitting about the court.
"[13] Whether he parted company with the Rens for stylistic or other reasons, for several seasons after 1937 little is known of Bethards' playing career until he resurfaced in 1942 joining John Isaacs, Cooper and Clayton on the Philadelphia Toppers in games against the Detroit Clowns[14] and Long Island Pros.
Comparing Wilt to the Philly pro pioneers, the Fitchburg (MA) Sentinel editorialized: "The stars of the New York Rens and Philadelphia Colored Giants were that incomparable clown Jackie Bethards, a one-man predecessor to the Harlem Globetrotters, and Zack Clayton and Tarzan Cooper, remember?
We certainly don't wish to insinuate that the "Stilt" should be forced to undergo indignities of any kind, but neither do we feel that Bethards, Clayton, or Cooper would have hustled for cover as Wilt obviously has if his retirement is on the level.