April 30, 2025
Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, Chuck Cooper, and Earl Lloyd played during the 1950-51 season
The NBA has recently celebrated and acknowledged the 75th anniversary of the first three Black players to take the court for the league.
According to Andscape, during the 1950-51 basketball season, three Black men broke the racial barrier when they made their debut for the National Basketball Association: Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, Chuck Cooper, and Earl Lloyd. To acknowledge their feat, the NBA is in talks to celebrate the three pioneers every year, starting next season, during Black History Month.
“I am excited about the fact that we are going to honor the legacy, the courage and determination of these pioneers and also many players that have come after them,” NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) president and New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum told the media outlet. “But it starts with them and how they transformed the NBA and how they inspired players like myself. They faced a lot of extremely difficult challenges from racism to discrimination. But they showed tremendous resolve to overcome these obstacles and still figure out a way to perform at a high level.”
Clifton had the honor of being the “Jackie Robinson” of the NBA as he became the first Black player to have an NBA contract after the New York Knicks purchased his contract from the Harlem Globetrotters in May 1950. Cooper had the distinction of being the first Black player drafted by an NBA team when the Boston Celtics selected him in the second round of the NBA Draft as the 13th overall pick. In that same draft, in the ninth round, with the 101st pick, the Washington Capitals selected Lloyd to become part of their team.
Due to a scheduling issue, Lloyd became the first Black player to play in an official regular season game when he took the court Oct. 31, 1950. Another achievement for Lloyd was becoming one of the first Black coaches when he did so for the Detroit Pistons. He and Jim Tucker were the first Black players to win an NBA title when the Syracuse Nationals won the championship in 1955.
The NBPA plans to release three videos across its social and digital platforms that will celebrate Clifton, Cooper, and Lloyd. Next season, the NBA will honor the three pioneers who transformed the league and made it possible for the ones playing today.
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