The first black player in the NBA
 

It's Earl Lloyd. Lloyd was one of three black players to enter the NBA at the same time. It was because of the order in which the team's season openers fell that Lloyd was the first to actually play in a game in the NBA, scoring six points on Halloween night for the Washington Capitols.

The date was October 31, 1950, one day ahead of Chuck Cooper of the Boston Celtics and four days before Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton of the New York Knicks.

(Below) is his 1957 Topps card.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ldYAA...n/s-l1200.webp

Very cool history, I always thought Sweetwater Clifton was the first. Can’t believe these guys aren’t more celebrated.

Kenny Washington isn't a household name either.

It would have been interesting whether Jackie would be as celebrated if guys in other sports had integrated first. Who knows.

Yahoo had this write up this morning - On This Day:

73 years ago today, Earl Lloyd made his debut for the now-defunct Washington Capitols, becoming the first* Black player in NBA history, Jeff writes.
*
Three trailblazers: Lloyd was the first of three Black players to suit up that season, followed by Chuck Cooper and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, who both debuted days later. Lloyd, a Hall of Famer, played 560 games across nine seasons and won the 1955 title with the Syracuse Nationals.
*
More on this day:
*
[emoji462] 1994: Venus Williams made her professional debut at age 14 with a straight-sets victory. Almost exactly one year later, her sister Serena debuted, also at age 14.

⛳️ 2010: Tiger Woods' reign as world No. 1 ended after a record 281 consecutive weeks, breaking his own previous record of 264. Greg Norman is the next closest at 96 straight.

*Another first: Lloyd coached the Pistons in 1971-72, becoming the NBA's first "coach-only" Black head coach (Bill Russell and Lenny Wilkens had previously pulled double duty as player-coaches).


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Lloyd was from one town over, Alexandria, VA. He was the honored guest during the St. Patrick's Day parade in the early 2010's. There is also a street named in his honor: Lloyd Way.

Old postcard featuring Lloyd. I am pretty sure I got it here on Net54.

In 2007, the newly constructed basketball court at T.C. Williams High School in Lloyd’s home town of Alexandria was named in his honor.

Hey Al, is that one of the McCarthy Pistons PCs?

As long as we're talking Nat Clifton, here is a 1951-52 Knicks schedule card:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...20card%201.jpg

1952-53:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...20card%201.jpg

I am guessing he was an impact player right off the bat if they put him on these cards.

Here's a Cooper GPC.

Adam, it is indeed. Did I get it from you then?

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Nope. I have a few other players and was curious.

Common mistake, I don't think the "Sweetwater" movie that recently came out helped as it spread misinformation.

As a matter of fact most all of the information spoke about Sweetwater Clifton is incorrect in that movie and in common sports lexicon. He was neither the first african-american to play, nor the first to sign a contract.

Harold Hunter was the first to sign a contract after being drafted by the Capitols in 1950. However, he was cut in camp and never played in the regular season.

I think that this info is starting to take hold.

I bought the 57 Lloyd and Clifton for around 20 a piece, and my Kenny Washington 48 Leaf would likely grade a 4-5 and if I paid 25 I would be shocked. These have all jumped astronomically in the past 5-6 years from those prices.

The only one of the barrier breakers that has not moved much is Willie O'Ree. I have 3 BeeHives, but I think the non-traditional format of those holds them back. I see high ebay museum list prices, but I likely paid between 5-10 bucks for mine on auction listings.

O'Rea if memory serves has a virtually non-existent minor league card or exhibit?

It was from me.

O'Ree's rookie is considered to be from the 1944-1960 Bee Hive hockey photos. They really are not cards or exhibits, more just a 5.5 x8 photo and quite thin. After I bought my Robinson Bond Portrait years ago, I assembled all the RCs of each sports barrier breakers as it seemed like the natural thing to do in my mind.

https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Ho...15072855Fr.jpg

Oh sorry, I misunderstood the question. :)

I wouldn't consider the QHL card as the RC, although some may. Honestly though, I would agree that's a needle in a haystack. I have never seen one outside of a book or on the net.

Willie O'Ree
 

Willie O'Ree has a card that is earlier than the Beehive Photo. It is from a 1956-57 Quebec Aces Team Issue set issued by Pollack. One of my favorite cards in my collection.

Very cool Andy, indeed a very hard issue!

Pretty neat
 

Very cool pieces of history y'all have here. So fascinating how Jackie Robinson

is the face of breaking the color barrier in sports yet these guys seem to

get no attention. Thanks so much for sharing and spreading their stories!

Kenny Washington was first. A full year before Jackie Robinson.


Major League Baseball celebrates Robinson every year on April 15 -- the date in 1947 when he broke baseball's longstanding color barrier. But March 21 comes and goes every year without anyone pausing to remember that Washington broke the NFL's modern-era color barrier as a member of the Los Angeles Rams on that date in 1946 -- a full year before Robinson's milestone.

https://www.nfl.com/news/forgotten-h...000d5d827061c3

If you are talking black sports groundbreakers, don't forget The Brown Bomber. Heavyweight champ 1937-1949:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...20Harrison.jpg

Or The Galveston Giant, whose title reign (1909-15) led to the de facto color barrier that Louis broke:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...0Johnson_1.JPG

Wendell Scott integrated NASCAR

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ize/img137.jpg

How about the first black football player to be drafted by the NFL, George Taliaferro. Here are my autographed cards from each year of his career.