Discussion for article #244141
An entertainer’s entertainer.
jw1
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Meadowlark Lemon and his Bucketeers came to an assembly at my school when I was in sixth grade and I got to see them play that night. It was one of those unforgettable childhood experiences. Godspeed, good man.
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I have fond memories of a visit from the Harlem Globetrotters, growing up in very White Podunk, Oregon. It was the first time I ever saw Black persons, in-person, watching the Globetrotters hilariously humiliate the Generals. All the kids were crazy excited to see Meadowlark and his teammates live and making unbelievable trick shots and misdirection plays. Long before digital entertainment and 400 T.V. channels, this was real entertainment
Saw them at the dinky U of Ariz. Bear Down gym in the 1960s. Just reading the words “Harlem Globetrotters” pushes a joy button for me.
Lemon was a unique treasure, and I got a kick to see that he is a Hall of Famer for both basketball and clowns.
I saw the Globetrotters in the 70s when I was a kid, and I’ll never forget it. Meadowlark was a true showman - a gifted entertainer, and a good basketball player as well. I’ll never forget his half court hook shots, throwing a bucket of confetti on fans who think it is water, and complaining about his pain and when they tend to his arm he informs them it is his leg that hurts.
An elder brother of mine lives in East Tennessee in a tiny burg called Dresden.
He claims to have seen the the last time the Generals defeated the Globetrotters-- in nearby Martin TN in 1971:
jw1
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