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Thread: Harlem Globetrotters star Meadowlark Lemon dies at 83

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    Harlem Globetrotters star Meadowlark Lemon dies at 83

    -Meadowlark Lemon, who became known as the "Clown Prince of Basketball" during a run of more than two decades as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, died Sunday. He was 83.

    Globetrotters spokesman Brett Meister said Lemon's wife and daughter confirmed to the team that he died Sunday in Scottsdale, Ariz. Meister did not know the cause of death.

    A North Carolina native born Meadow Lemon III, Lemon recalled making his first basketball hoop out of an onion sack and a coat hanger and using an empty can of Carnation milk to sink his first two-point shot, according to Lemon's website.

    He played college basketball at Florida A&M and was drafted into the Army for two years before he applied to join the Globetrotters in 1954. Lemon said he had seen the Globetrotters playing on newsreels, passing the ball to the tones of the distinctive "Sweet Georgia Brown," and was struck by the all-black squad. Black players were still a novelty on the court, the NBA having only integrated in 1950.

    "When they got to the basketball court, they seemed to make that ball talk," Lemon said during his Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech in 2003. "I said, 'That's mine. This is for me.' I was a receiving a vision. I was receiving a dream in my heart."

    The determined Lemon began playing for the team in 1955.

    Lemon changed his first name to the distinctive "Meadowlark" in the 1950s because, he later said, "The birds named meadowlark are known for their sweet and happy songs. I always tried to put a song in the hearts of my fans."

    Over the next 22 years, Lemon was the most visible member of the Globetrotters during an era when their popularity rivaled that of most NBA teams...

    http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2015/1...ies-at-83.html

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    FaithfulOne (12-28-2015)

  3. #2
    Administrator fuego's Avatar
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    Always loved the Globetrotters and especially Meadowlark. I saw them I think it was when I was in 7th grade before a Hawks game.

  4. #3
    I didn't realize that he was a minister also:


    Meadowlark Lemon Ministries

    In 1994 Meadowlark and his wife, Dr. Cynthia Lemon, founded Meadowlark Lemon Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to "changing lives, to change the world." In 1986, Meadowlark became an ordained minister, and in 1998, he received a Doctorate of Divinity from Vision International University. In 1994, Dr. Cynthia Lemon became an ordained minister and they work together as a team with a heart for people and a mission for the world; a team with a message of hope, joy, grace and unmerited favor.

    Meadowlark's life as a basketball celebrity and as one of the world's most recognizable athletes and entertainers has given him access to millions who might not otherwise hear the "good news" of a loving God who knows them by name and loves them. Meadowlark's humorous, dynamic and engaging style of communication makes him a highly sought-after conference speaker, keynote speaker and evangelist.

    Meadowlark Lemon Ministries along with Camp Meadowlark and Meadowlark Lemon's Harlem All Stars™ uses both conventional and unconventional methods to reach out to young and old alike. Through the means of writing books, preaching, evangelical outreaches, music, basketball, television media and technology, Meadowlark Lemon Ministries presents a life-changing message that brings hope, joy and inspiration to millions — encouraging all to stay focused and "finish strong" in every endeavor...

    http://www.meadowlarklemon.org/ministry/

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    FresnoJoe (05-22-2018)

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    Senior Member Romans828's Avatar
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    Yep, I've seen him minister on TBN a number of times in the past. He had a kind and loving spirit - R.I.P. Brother.

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    FresnoJoe (05-22-2018)

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    Senior Member Cardinal TT's Avatar
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    Why did his parents give him that name?

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    FresnoJoe (05-22-2018)

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