Meadowlark Lemon, a renowned American basketball player, actor, and Christian minister, had a net worth of $2 million at the time of his death, and was best known for his affiliation with the Harlem Globetrotters exhibition basketball team. He passed away on December 27, 2015, at the age of 83.
Meadowlark Lemon, a legendary American basketball player, actor, and Christian minister, possessed a net worth of $2 million when he passed away. As a prominent figure, Meadowlark Lemon was widely recognized for his membership in the Harlem Globetrotters, a prestigious exhibition basketball team. In addition to his basketball career, he also made appearances in various television shows, including 'Sweepstakes,' 'Alice,' and 'Hello, Larry,' and portrayed a reverend in the movie 'The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.' Following his ordination as a minister in 1986, Lemon established his own ministry, Meadowlark Lemon Ministries, in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1994. He was married to Dr. Cynthia Lemon and had a total of 10 children with her. Sadly, Meadowlark Lemon passed away on December 27, 2015, at the age of 83. Meadowlark Lemon was born as Meadow Lemon III on April 25, 1932, in Wilmington, North Carolina, and attended Williston School during his youth, graduating in 1952. He then enrolled at Florida A&M University but was soon drafted into the US Army, where he served for two years in Austria and West Germany. (Photo by Charlie Ley/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) During his time away from the Harlem Globetrotters, Lemon played for other exhibition teams that aimed to emulate the Globetrotters, including the Bucketeers and the Shooting Stars. In the late 1980s, he formed his own team, Meadowlark Lemon's Harlem All Stars. Lemon's professional acting career commenced in the late 1970s, with appearances in an episode of the NBC television anthology series 'Sweepstakes' and a role in the second season of the sitcom 'Hello, Larry' in 1979. The same year, he played the character of Reverend Grady Jackson in the basketball comedy film 'The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh,' which featured several NBA stars. In the early 1980s, he made guest appearances on the educational science show '3-2-1 Contact' and had a guest role on the CBS sitcom 'Alice.' Lemon also acted in various television commercials throughout his career, including a 1978 commercial for Burger King and a 1983 ad for Charmin toilet paper. Among his other media appearances, Lemon hosted the educational geography film 'Meadowlark Lemon Presents the World' in 1979 and recorded the song 'My Kids,' written by Dalton & Dubarri, the same year. In 1982, he appeared in the interactive educational video 'Fun & Games,' which was released on LaserDisc. As a born-again Christian, Lemon was ordained as a Christian minister in 1986 and earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from Vision International University in the San Diego, California area two years later. In 1994, he established his Meadowlark Lemon Ministries in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 2000, Lemon received the John Bunn Award, the highest honor awarded by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame outside of induction. After his retirement in early 2001, Lemon became one of three Harlem Globetrotters to have their number retired, along with Wilt Chamberlain and Marques Haynes. A couple of years later, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. From 1994 until his passing in 2015, Lemon was married to Cynthia, with whom he had a total of 10 children: Richard, George, Beverly, Donna, Robin, Jonathan, Jamison, Angela, Crystal, and Caleb. On December 27, 2015, Lemon passed away in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of 83.