Globetrotters legend Meadowlark Lemon dies at 83

One of the greatest entertainers to ever step foot on hardwood passed away on Sunday.

Meadowlark Lemon, who played with the Harlem Globetrotters for 24 years and 16,000 games in 97 countries, died at the age of 83.

His wife Cynthia confirmed his passing to the New York Times. No cause of death was given.

Lemon, known by his moniker as the "Clown Prince of Basketball," was the stellar attraction for the Globetrotters at a time when their popularity rivaled any team in the NBA. He was equally as enigmatic both on and off the court - for every long-range hook shot, or no-look pass, there was a joke and a smile.

His career saw him play in front of the Pope in Rome, on dirt courts in African villages, in Moscow during the Cold War, and in stadiums all across the United States. Lemon even played with Wilt Chambelain for one year between his time in college and the NBA.

Chamberlain, who played with and against an endless string of NBA legends, held Lemon in the highest of regards.

"Meadowlark was the most sensational, awesome, incredible basketball player I've ever seen," Chamberlain said in a television interview not long before he died in 1999. "People would say it would be Dr. J or even Jordan. For me, it would be Meadowlark Lemon."

Lemon was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, where he shared a memory of the first time he saw the Globetrotters play.

"When they got to the basketball court, they seemed to make that ball talk," he said. "I said, 'That's mine; this is for me.' I was receiving a vision. I was receiving a dream in my heart."

- With h/t to The New York Times