Meadowlark Lemon: Harlem Globetrotters' 'Clown Prince of Basketball' dies at 83

The player had performed more than 7,500 games with the traveling troupe

Meadowlark Lemon could score from up close, he could score from far away. He could make the ball curl high in the air, and - with the help of a long rubber band - he could make it snap back.

And all the while he was doing so, he delighted fans who had come to watch the skill and comedy of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team.

On Monday, it was reported that Lemon, who called himself the “Clown Prince of Basketball”, had passed away at the age of 83. The New York Times said that Lemon’s wife, Cynthia, confirmed that he had died on Sunday in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Meadowlark Lemon performed in front of Queen Elizabeth II (AP)

“For a generation of fans, the name Meadowlark Lemon was synonymous with the Harlem Globetrotters,” the Globetrotters CEO, Kurt Schneider, said in a statement.

“He was an incredible entertainer and brought happiness and lifelong memories to millions around the world. We have lost a great ambassador of the game.”

Lemon, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, joined the Globetrotters in 1954 at the age 22 and stayed with the traveling show until 1978, appearing in more than 7,500 consecutive games in a total of 100 countries. Among those who watched him play and perform were Queen Elizabeth II and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

The troupe was originally established in the 1920s as an outlet for black players who wanted to play professional basketball but whom were prevented from joining the National Basketball Association, which did not accept African American players until 1950.

Lemon, who was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, said he was inspired to play after watching a newsreel about the team when he was aged just 11. Reuters said he was struck by the sight of black men taking such a joyous approach to a game during a time of segregation.

“They seemed to make that ball talk,” Lemon said when inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

“I said, ‘That’s mine. This is for me’. I was receiving a vision, I was receiving a dream in my heart.”

At the same time, Lemon, who joined the Globetrotters in 1954 at age 22 after briefly attending Florida A&M University and serving in the US army, also found himself facing accusation of fulfilling a minstrel show stereotype.

Amid the growth of the civil rights and black power movements in the 1960s, the Globetrotters - with their tomfoolery and joking - faced of allegations of being grinning stooges.

The always-chatting Lemon, whose stunts included a hook shot from mid-court and a routine in which he would get upset with a teammate and throw a bucket of confetti at him, responded by saying he had several roles.

“I’m an athlete but athletes are entertainers and entertainers can be comedians,” he said 2004. “I'm all of the above.”

Lemon was married twice and had 10 children.

The Globetrotters said on Twitter that they would dedicate the team’s 90th anniversary tour to Lemon and former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Marques Haynes, who died in May.