NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - Harlem Globetrotters icon Meadowlark Lemon hit the hardwood and now hits the road with a new book on life, love, and laughter.

LISTEN: WCBS 880′s Paul Murnane reports

At 78-years-old, the Globetrotters great says he starts his day with stretching, prayers, and a visit to the gym.

Plenty in the crowd that greeted him at the 86th floor observation deck at the Empire State building knew the face in a minute. but Lemon sounds proudest of what he hears from the fans.

“They say daddy didn’t know how to tell us how much he loved us, but once a year, when you came around town or we saw you television, you brought our family together,” Lemon told WCBS 880 reporter Paul Murnane.

In life, you can win people over if you can make them laugh and once two people have that connection, he says, that’s the beginning of a team.

The book is called “Trust Your Next SHOT: A Guide to a Life of Joy.”