For young NBA players, a demographic filled overwhelmingly with Black men, they come into the league bright-eyed and consumed with the things young people tend to be consumed by.

First Black NBA referee to officiate a game: Calls to add Black referees from players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Bill Russell played a role in Jackie White becoming the first ...

Carrying the weight of history, these first Black NBA players entered arenas where many didn’t want them and still played at a high level. In a time of segregation, they proved that their ...

Two other Black players entered the NBA in 1950, the same year as Lloyd. One was Nat Clifton, formerly of the Harlem Globetrotters, who signed a contract with the New York Knicks.

Moreover, NBA teams wanted Black players to do the nitty-gritty work of playing defense, boxing out and rebounding, but they did not want their Black players to be scorers or stars.

First, some quick history. The first African-American players joined the NBA in the 1950-51 season, a year after the merger of the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America.

That comment alone lets you know he needs to be a part of that conversation.” In 1950, Chuck Cooper, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, and Earl Lloyd became the first black players drafted into the NBA.

Carrying the weight of history, these first Black NBA players entered arenas where many didn’t want them and still played at a high level. In a time of segregation, they proved that their ...

Black players continue to dominate the NBA with their talent and athleticism. The league pays tribute to them with awards like the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and inductions into the Hall of Fame.

Carrying the weight of history, these first Black NBA players entered arenas where many didn’t want them and still played at a high level. In a time of segregation, they proved that their ...