RIP Meadowlark Lemon

[dogpause]

The clown prince of basketball has passed. He was 83.
I'm sure many of us had the pleasure of watching him with the Harlem Globetrotters.

 

[Kitaman]

Hell this is depressing. I'm starting to know of all of these people dying.

Glad he's in the HOF, and will live on in basketball history forever.

 

[huskyharry]

He was a great showman and consummate professional!

 

[borninansonia]

Didn't he live in Fairfield, at least for a few years? I think I remember seeing him at an outdoor basketball hoop there.

 

[huskyhaven]

He was one of the reasons I got into basketball from my youth.

 

[Drumguy]

Didn't he live in Fairfield, at least for a few years? I think I remember seeing him at an outdoor basketball hoop there.

yep, I was on a little league baseball team with his son. (I grew up n Fairfield)

 

[Chin Diesel]

Saw him with the Globetrotters a few times at the HCC.

 

[superjohn]

Met him at an airport as a little kid and he was the nicest guy, still amazed at how he made those half court hook shots.

 

[UCweCONN]

And don't forget when they played that charity game on Gilligan's Island.

 

[mauconnfan]

And don't forget when they played that charity game on Gilligan's Island.

Wow good call

 

[8893]

And don't forget when they played that charity game on Gilligan's Island.

 

[mauconnfan]

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Chick Hearn as the announcer, Scotsman as the coach and Martin Landau the scorekeeper wow

 

[Danzz]

A lot of the Globetrotters were good but not great players but I believe Meadowlark could have had an outstanding NBA career. He was the Globetrotters along with Curly Neal. His act was predictable but no matter how many times I saw them they always made me laugh. RIP Meadowlark and thanks for the laughs.

 

[Dove]

Loved that Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine!!!

 

[mauconnfan]

Damn iMac changed "Scatman" to Scotsman WTF

 

[John]

I grew up in the Geese Ausbie phase of the Globetrotters, but I do appreciate Meadowlark.

 

[RichZ]

Their warmup routine wasn't to just any old Sweet Georgia Brown, it was to this version of Sweet Georgia Brown.

Marcus Haynes may ave been their most talented player in the day, but in the eyes of most of the kids who saw them, Meadowlark was the Globtrotters.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Didn't he live in Fairfield, at least for a few years? I think I remember seeing him at an outdoor basketball hoop there.

I believe he did.
I was a NY Giants preseason camp at Fairfield U and he was there with his son.
I believed his son was a decent HS football player for one of the local schools.
He was very friendly but also very interested in watching the practice so we didn't hassle him.

 

[jibsey]

A great entertainer and a great man. How many people do you think he performed for in his career?

 

[joober jones]

I was very saddened to see this on the news when I got up this morning. RIP to Meadowlark - one of the all time basketball greats, and an even better person.

 

[Deepster]

It's hard to fathom in this day of social media and Internet, but the Harlem Globetrotters on the Wide World of Sports was must see tv when I was a kid.

 

[jibsey]

Took my 5 year old grandson to see them in the XL Center last year and it is still great entertainment and laughs. If you have not seen them live, take some kids, they will love it. One of those retro things that will never go out of style and Meadowlark was their most famous player.

 

[cohenzone]

I remember watching the Trotters's original "clown prince" Goose Tatum on TV. Meadowlark was a worthy successor. I got to meet Marques Haynes in my office after he'd retired. He was a close friend to a guy at my office. A nice guy with a blow you away memory. He was introduced to about 100 people and he absolutely remembered everybody's name based on tte several conversations I was in or overheard. Of course got his autograph. It disappeared years ago.

 

[Kitaman]

For those that don't know:

NY Times

'This was a time when the Trotters were known for more than their comedy routines and basketball legerdemain; they were also recognized as a formidable competitive team. Their victory over the Minneapolis Lakers in 1948 was instrumental in integrating the National Basketball Association, and a decade later their owner, Abe Saperstein, signed a 7-footer out of the University of Kansas to a one-year contract before he was eligible for the N.B.A.: Wilt Chamberlain.

By then, Lemon, who was 6 feet 3 inches tall and slender, was the team’s leading light, such a star that he played center while Chamberlain played guard.

Lemon was a slick ballhandler and a virtuoso passer, and he specialized in the long-distance hook, a trick shot he made with remarkable regularity. But it was his charisma and comic bravado that made him perhaps the most famous Globetrotter.'

 

[Horatio]

Saw him with the Globetrotters a few times at the HCC.

I remember him and the globetrotters at the New Haven coliseum growing up. Going to see those guys was a big deal back. There should be a respectable amount of NBA/ NCAA delegates and former players at his funeral. He was always smiling.