WASHINGTON — Meadowlark Lemon, known as the “Clown Prince” of the Harlem Globetrotters during the traveling basketball troupe’s golden era, has died, according to reports. He was 83.
He played an impressive 16,000 games, delighting crowds with tricky, slick moves aimed to thwart his opponents and evoke laughter at a聽time, according to , when the Globetrotters were more popular than the NBA itself.
A player who dreamed of joining the Globetrotters as a boy, Lemon was famous for his half-court hook shots and over-the-head dribbles, among other moves. He was the center of the team’s signature showstopping antics and for 22 years bolstered the brand’s reputation as a brilliant mix of top entertainment and superlative skill.
After leaving the Globetrotters in 1978 he started his own teams and played well into his 70s. 聽But in later years, Lemon 聽became a minister — his audience quite smaller, more reverent — in Scottsdale, Ariz., far from the razzle-dazzle of the court. It was there that his wife, Cynthia Lemon, confirmed to 聽The New York Times that he had passed away. No cause of death was given.
Lemon was 鈥渁n American institution like the Washington Monument or the Statue of Liberty鈥� whose 鈥渦niform will one day hang in the Smithsonian right next to Lindbergh鈥檚 airplane,鈥� Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray once wrote. 聽Lemon’s former teammate Wilt Chamberlain, another famous virtuoso, said he was the best in the sport, hands down,
鈥淢eadowlark was the most sensational, awesome, incredible basketball player I鈥檝e ever seen,鈥� Chamberlain said not long before his death聽in 1999. 鈥淧eople would say it would be Dr. J or even (Michael) Jordan. For me, it would be Meadowlark Lemon.鈥�
Watch Meadowlark Lemon鈥檚 signature antics in this video from his website:
