The basketball world lost a legend in Basketball Hall of Famer Meadowlark Lemon as he passed away today. In 1954, he signed a contract with the New York Knicks and the basketball world would never be the same. In his autobiography, he stated that he was this close to trying out for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Had Lemon tried out and made the Globetrotters, would the Knicks have still been the dominant team of the 1950s? And would the Knicks and Celtics still have the same rivalry in the 1960s (the Knicks did win 6 NBA championships that decade, 16 during Lemon's entire career with that team)? Had Lemon chosen the Globetrotters, who would have been the biggest star on the Knicks?
And would Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still have become a Knick without having Lemon as a teammate?
Had Lemon tried out and made the Globetrotters, would the Knicks have still been the dominant team of the 1950s? And would the Knicks and Celtics still have the same rivalry in the 1960s (the Knicks did win 6 NBA championships that decade, 16 during Lemon's entire career with that team)? Had Lemon chosen the Globetrotters, who would have been the biggest star on the Knicks?
And would Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still have become a Knick without having Lemon as a teammate?