It's a long way from today, but the NBA used to be all white. Not that anybody who's paid attention to history would be surprised by that, but anybody who's watched a game in any of the past 60+ years might.
Before the league integrated, somebody had to crack the color barrier. At the beginning of the 1950 season, Earl Lloyd along with Chuck Cooper and Nathaniel Clifton were the chosen pioneers. By sheer luck of the draw (i.e. the schedule) Lloyd had the first tip-off that season (Halloween night), and thus made history as the first black player to play in an NBA game, doing so with the Washington Capitols. The highest of lights of his career came in 1955 when he won a championship with the Syracuse Nationals. After his playing days ended, he joined the Pistons as the first African-American bench coach. In 2003, he was added to the Hall of Fame as a contributor.
Earlier this afternoon, Lloyd passed away.
He was 86-years-old.
[via Sporting News, WXYZ Detroit]
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