Meadowlark Lemon | |
|---|---|
 Lemon in 1988 | |
| Born | Meadow Lemon III[1] April 25, 1932 |
| Died | December 27, 2015 (aged 83) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Basketball player, actor, minister |
| Known for | The Harlem Globetrotters |
| Spouse |
Cynthia Lemon (m. 1994–2015) |
| Children | 10 |
Meadowlark Lemon (born Meadow Lemon III;[1] April 25, 1932 – December 27, 2015),[2] was an American basketball player, actor, and Christian minister. For 22 years, he was known as the "Clown Prince" of the touring Harlem Globetrotters basketball team.[3] He was a 2003 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Ordained in 1986, in 1994 he started Meadowlark Lemon Ministries in Scottsdale, Arizona.[4][5]
In one of his final interviews, basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain described Lemon as "the most sensational, awesome, incredible basketball player I've ever seen".[6] Fellow Wilmington great Michael Jordan called Lemon a "true national treasure" and a personal inspiration in Jordan's youth.[4]
- ^ a b "Meadowlark Lemon Biography." Archived May 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine www.meadowlarklemon.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "Meadowlark Lemon: The Clown Prince Of Basketball (1932-2015)." www.meadowlarklemon.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "Meadowlark Lemon, "Clown Prince" of Harlem Globetrotters, dead at 83". CBS News. December 28, 2015.
- ^ a b Miller, Randy. "Meadowlark Lemon, late Harlem Globetrotters legend, was Michael Jordan of his day." NJ.com, December 28, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ "Meadowlark Lemon Ministries." Archived February 19, 2020, at the Wayback Machine www.meadowlarklemon.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ Associated Press. "Wilt spoke of regrets, women and Meadowlark." ESPN.com, October 13, 1999. Retrieved May 8, 2017.