His name will live forever.
Meadowlark Lemon is remembered as one of the most entertaining basketball players in Harlem Globetrotters history, known for his half-court hook shots and behind-the-back passes. He turned Globetrotters games into a slapstick comedy sketch and was primarily known for his confetti-in-the-water bucket routine.
Born Meadow Lemon III, as a child, he didn’t have money for basketball equipment, so he used an empty Carnation milk canister, a coat hanger for a makeshift hoop, and an onion sack for the basket. That was good enough to learn the game, and he played high school ball in his hometown of Wilmington, NC. Lemon played college basketball for a time at Florida A&M University, a historically Black College and University (HBCU), before being drafted into the Army and playing for an Army team in Germany, where he was stationed.
After being discharged, Lemon played professionally for the Kansas City All-Stars, a developmental team for the Globetrotters, and was called up to the big team in 1955, staying with the team for the next 25 years.
Photo courtesy ESPN
Meadowlark and his Globetrotters played in many venues, from modest places like high school gyms to the biggest venues, including Madison Square Garden. He even played a game during the Cold War when Nikita Khrushchev was the Prime Minister of the Soviet Union. He also played with regular basketball fans, as well as presidents, queens, and popes, in over 100 countries, for a total of 16,000 games.
Meadowlark left the Globetrotters in the late 1970s over a contract dispute and formed his own basketball teams, including The Bucketeers, The Shooting Stars, and Meadowlark Lemon’s Harlem All-Stars. He returned to the Globetrotters during the early 1990s.
Television and movie appearances also kept Meadowlark busy during his Globetrotting days. In 1979, he played a reverend in the movie The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. Coincidentally, in real life, he became an ordained minister in his later years. He appeared on Wide World of Sports on ABC and variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show, performing with many of his teammates to “Sweet Georgia Brown” in the background. He also appeared as a coach on the TV series The White Shadow.
With his colorful personality, he was featured in animated series such as The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine, Harlem Globetrotters, and made some special appearances in The Scooby-Doo movies.
Meadowlark delivering his Hall of Fame speech
Meadowlark was also honored with awards. He received the John Bunn Award (2000), an honor given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to those who have contributed significantly to the sport of basketball. Also in 2000, he was awarded the International Clown Hall of Fame’s Lifetime of Laughter Award. In 2003, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
In his induction speech, he had one goal in mind when playing as a Globetrotter. “My destiny was to make people happy,” he said.
In his later years, he turned to his religious beliefs, became an ordained minister, and sang gospel music. He took up residence in Scottsdale, Arizona, where his ministries were located.
Meadowlark Lemon died in 2015 at the age of 83. In his own words, his dream was to become a Globetrotter, a vision stimulated by a newsreel that he saw when he was 11 years old. He never imagined the places he would see and the people he would meet. “I was one of the most fortunate athletes who ever lived. I was able to watch history.”
