George Lemon III (April 25, 1932 – December 27, 2015), known professionally as “Meadowlark” Lemon, was an American basketball player, actor, and minister. For 22 years, Lemon was known as the “Clown Prince” of the touring Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. He played in more than 16,000 games for the Globetrotters and was a 2003 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. When basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain was asked his opinion on the best player of all time, he responded, “Believe it or not, Meadowlark Lemon.
Meadowlark Lemon, Basketball Hall of Famer and the renowned “Clown Prince of Basketball”, is a legendary hero in the world of sports… the man with the most recognizable face and name in sports history! His name and patented hook shot are ingrained in the memories and hearts of generations who recognize him as the most popular member of the most beloved sports team in history – The Harlem Globetrotters.
Meadowlark Lemon helped change the face of American history, Black history, and Sports history! Meadowlark has played basketball before Kings, Queens, Presidents, Popes, and for millions of fans all over the World! Meadowlark has performed his on-court artistry in more than 100 countries around the Globe! As an international star with the Harlem Globetrotters, Meadowlark was also known as an “Ambassador of Good will in Short Pants.” In 1997, at Ebony Magazine’s 50th anniversary, Meadowlark was honored with the Sports Legends Award.
Meadowlark Lemon is a household name after playing in more than 16,000 career games for the Globetrotters that began in 1954 and lasted until 1979. In 1993, Meadowlark went back with the Harlem Globetrotters for a 50 game “comeback” season. Meadowlark was voted as one of America’s most recognizable faces following Alan Alda, John Wayne and Bob Hope.
Meadowlark says, “ …An NBA player would need to play 160 games per year for 100 years to achieve my record of over 16,000 career games… as a Globetrotter we played over 350 games per year.
For more than five decades, the irreplaceable “Clown Prince of Basketball” has thrilled millions of fans with his basketball skills and slapstick comedy. A gifted athlete and hilarious comedian, he is as renowned for his famous confetti-in-the-water-bucket routine as he is for hitting hook shots from half court. Meadowlark is an outspoken champion role model who continues to supercharge audiences worldwide with his high energy, warmth, humor and inspiring message of finishing strong and how to live a life of JOY!
As a legendary member of the Harlem Globetrotters, Meadowlark witnessed firsthand the changing tides of acceptance and virtue among the nations of the world. On the road, while performing before various diplomats, world leaders, celebrities, popes and many fans he learned that JOY is not the absence of adversity. Meadowlark realized that JOY is the victorious way through adversity.
Meadowlark’s “no-look, wrap-around pass” for an easy slam-dunk and his wit is unsurpassed. In his nationally syndicated column, Los Angeles Times Sports Writer, Jim Murray, described Meadowlark Lemon as “an American Institution whose uniform should hang alongside the Spirit of St. Louis and the Gemini Space Capsule in the halls of the Smithsonian Institute.” … “He did more for basketball than 10 seasons of the Boston Celtics.”
Even today, fans relay stories of their memories of times they witnessed his performance. On television or in the arena, you knew you were watching a gifted athlete who loved his game and the many fans who were watching him. Meadowlark’s athletic skills are matched only by his charisma.
Meadowlark enjoyed the games and cherished the memories as much as the fans!
Meadowlark’s rise to fame embodies the American dream. Can anyone top the storybook climb from the poverty of a small town right into the uniform of an international basketball team? A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, he practiced hoops as a child at the local playground. Meadowlark readily admits poverty or not, life was not boring.
Meadowlark was inducted into the NBA Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2003 and received the NBA Lifetime Achievement – John Bunn Award for Lifetime Achievement in the year 2000, which is considered the highest honor given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame outside of induction. Meadowlark was also enshrined as part of the Harlem Globetrotters Team in 2002 and the Team’s John Bunn Award in 1999. Considering that basketball has been around for more than 100 years, it’s astonishing there are less than 315 Hall of Famers and only 40 John Bunn Award recipients as of 2012. Since 1959, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has inducted only 313 coaches, players, referees, contributors and teams. All of the basketball legends who have been Enshrined are celebrated for their outstanding achievements and accomplishments. As the highest honor in Professional Basketball, entrance into the Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding contributions to the sport.
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