Meadowlark Lemon Passes Away at 83

Mr. Lemon played for the Globetrotters during the team’s heyday from the mid-1950s to the late-1970s, delighting fans with his comedy, showmanship and basketball skills.

The team initially played their opponents to win straight up, leaving the tricks out of the game only until the score was beyond reach.

Neal, a brilliant ball-handler, is also a North Carolinian, having grown up in Greensboro and he played college basketball at Johnson C. Smith.

‘He was an incredible entertainer and brought happiness and lifelong memories to millions around the world.

March 25, 2008, “Charlotte Talks” featuring Meadowlark Lemon.

After attending Florida A&M University, Lemon played during one of the Globetrotters’ overseas tours while serving in the Army, and requested a tryout with the team.

After a contract dispute in 1979, he left the Globetrotter to form a new team, the Buckateers, and continued his tradition of providing basketball joy for everyone from children to world leaders.

Lemon acknowledged that himself in his induction speech at the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. He said that without the earliest Globetrotters, like himself and Meadowlark Lemon, blazing a trail by becoming the best players in the world when blacks were barred from playing in the National Basketball Association, the pro leagues would be nothing like they are now. “We have lost a great ambassador of the game”, chief executive of Globetrotters Kurt Schneider told BBC.

The end of Lemon’s career with the Globetrotters in 1978 buttressed the dawn of the NBA’s golden era, with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson entering the league a year later.

Lemon’s ties to Tallahassee extended on and off the court.

He was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame back in 2003, and is also a member of the International Clown Hall of Fame.

Despite his humble beginnings, Lemon had big dreams, deciding to join the Globetrotters at age 11 after seeing a newsreel of them performing.

“He was a true showman, and always taught me to leave a crowd wanting more, and I can say that’s exactly how I feel right now”.