George “Meadowlark” Lemon, known as the “Clown Prince of Basketball” for his captivating and amusing style during his 24-season run with the Harlem Globetrotters died in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Sunday. He was 83.
Lemon, whose cause of death was not disclosed, developed an unworldly hook shot – often using at near half court – during his Globetrotters career that spanned 7,500 games in more than 100 countries. He first full season with the team was in 1954.
“For a generation of fans, the name Meadowlark Lemon was synonymous with the Harlem Globetrotters,” said Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider in a statement. “He was an incredible entertainer and brought happiness and lifelong memories to millions around the world. We have lost a great ambassador of the game.”
While the Globetrotters performed all over the world, they were most known for their regular appearances on TV during the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, and Lemon often served as the team’s unofficial spokesperson. The Globetrotters were often part of the TV networks main sports weekend sports programming appearing on Wide World of Sports, Sports Spectacular,The Ed Sullivan Show and David Letterman’s talk shows.
But Lemon and the rest of the Globetrotters of that era could be best known for their iconic appearances in the cartoon of Scooby Doo.
“I knew him to be talented. He was smart, funny and simply irresistible,” one-time Globetrotters owner Mannie Jackson said. “He believed that if you accepted him first on the basis of his many talents and his integrity and if you could make someone laugh, he would get you to listen, to believe and to change.
"He did just that for 24 years. He changed people’s attitudes about race. He changed foreigners attitudes about America and along the way, he made millions love the game of basketball.”
Lemon also starred in commercials for Burger King and Charmin, and had a role in the 1979 movie The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, which featured Julius Erving. If you paid close enough attention, the Globetrotters, especially Lemon, brought a flair to basketball that has been emulated at the highest level of the game, the NBA.
“Man, I’ve had a good run. I’ve had a great run. It’s been wonderful,” Lemon said at his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2003.
Lemon, a native of Wilmington, N.C., received the John W. Bunn Award, an honor that recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to basketball, in 2000. He was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
The Globetrotters announced they are dedicating this season — the team’s 90th overall — to Lemon and fellow legend Marques Haynes, who died in May.
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