Complex sentence: Despite popular wisdom, the Sphas did not directly involve into the Washington Generals, instead Saperstein had asked Klotz to create a separate exhibition team because the Sphas had beaten the Globetrotters on more than one occasion.
Split into simpler sentences: Despite popular wisdom, the Sphas did not directly involve into the Washington Generals. Instead, Saperstein had asked Klotz to create a separate exhibition team because the Sphas had beaten the Globetrotters on more than one occasion.