Harlem Globetrotter’s “Clown Prince” Dies at 83

“Legions of pro players today owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to him for the role he played in breaking down racial barriers”. “He participated in Youth Prison Work, with a focus on directing children of all ages in a positive way, “…to let children know they are not alone, they are uniquely special, and that God has a wonderful plan for their life and most importantly, they are forgiven.

Lemon was also known for appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, Diff’rent Strokes and in animated form as part of a Harlem Globetrotters animated series and in episodes of Scooby Doo.

His legacy can be found not just in the Globetrotters’ ongoing act – set for Rosemont performances on Tuesday and Wednesday – but in the National Basketball Association, which was ultimately nudged to racial integration and more uptempo play by the Trotters’ success at the gate and on the floor. They were all black men.

The basketball star has entertained millions of fans around the world as one of the most iconic members of the Harlem Globetrotters. Yet, it came true. Born April 25, 1938, exactly six years after Meadowlark Lemon, he was signed from an open tryout of more than 500 players after turning down a baseball contract with the Cubs.

“People would say it would be Dr J or even Jordan”. Check out some of Meadowlark Lemon’s moves below. He created a makeshift basketball hoop out of a coat hanger and onion sack, using an empty carnation milk can for his very first 2 point shot.

Once he’d hammered his makeshift hoop to a neighbor’s tree, he fished an empty Carnation milk can out of the garbage, making a ball from the only round object he could find. Lemon was the prankster of the iconic basketball troupe and he was famous for things like long distance hook shots, expert passing, and playing jokes on the referees like dumping confetti on them. He was known for a spectacular hook shot and for being able to effortlessly spin a basketball on his finger. “I don’t worry that I never played against some of those guys”. It also kept him from noting his past connection to the team in advertising for newer ventures. So Lemon enlisted and, while serving in Austria, tried out again when the Globetrotters visited Europe.

“I thought I was a good basketball player, but I certainly wasn’t a dribbling clown”.

First lesson: Even on a team that valued spectacle over statistics, comedy isn’t enough.

At one time, he said he had hoped to be able to launch a show business career apart from basketball, perhaps as a singer or as a nightclub comedian.

Indeed, in the middle of the 20th century, the Globetrotters were more than a novelty act.

At the age of 11, he saw a newsreel of the Harlem Globetrotters and set his sights on joining the team. Though sometimes criticized for its buffoonish image – for “Tomming for Abe”, as detractors put it – in the civil rights era, the Globetrotters always had many defenders. I wish I had a nickel for every time I took one in the nuts trying to dribble between my legs like Curley. He spent two years in the military before becoming a Globetrotter.

In his later years, Lemon served as a minister and motivational speaker.

There was a cost.