Earl Lloyd: the NBA’s First Black Player

[00:00:00] On October 31, 1950, the NBA was forever changed when Earl Lloyd stepped onto the NBA court with the Washington Capitals, becoming the first African American to play in an NBA game. And despite him breaking down this barrier in one of the most popular leagues today, he's often not remembered in the likes of others such as Jackie Robinson.

[00:00:25] And we're going to dive into why and give light to this historical basketball figure on today's episode of Daily Sports History.

[00:00:41] Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan Reese, your guide to a rapid deep dive into sports history every day.

[00:00:48] And today's trivia question is what two other African Americans also played in the NBA in 1950.

[00:00:58] Now the NBA actually didn't start as long ago as Major League Baseball.

[00:01:03] It started in 1946 and was created when the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League joined creating the National Basketball Association.

[00:01:14] And when they started, as most leagues started back in the day, they were segregated.

[00:01:19] So only white players were able to play.

[00:01:21] And that was the same as the NFL and Major League Baseball who are about to change that.

[00:01:27] But the reason being was just that was how things were done at that time.

[00:01:32] If you wanted to have a successful league, you had to be segregated.

[00:01:35] Although the Harlem Globetrotters did prove that wrong.

[00:01:38] And they're going to factor in to today's main focus, Earl Lloyd.

[00:01:43] Now Earl was born in Virginia into a coal mining family, but quickly became a standout in sports in a segregated high school.

[00:01:51] That didn't mean he didn't draw attention due to his basketball skill as he would grow to be 6'5", which at the time was really tall in basketball.

[00:01:59] And he would receive a scholarship to West Virginia State University, a historical black college.

[00:02:05] And he would lead the team to conference titles while averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds.

[00:02:10] And in his final year of college, he led them to an undefeated season, being the only team in the United States that went undefeated in college.

[00:02:18] But after that time, there wasn't a lot of options for black basketball players after graduating college.

[00:02:24] Except the Harlem Globetrotters.

[00:02:26] And Lloyd tried out for them and was able to make their team.

[00:02:29] And was part of the team that actually defeated the Minneapolis Lakers.

[00:02:33] Because at this time, as we covered before in the Harlem Globetrotters episodes,

[00:02:37] at this point, the Harlem Globetrotters were just a basketball team.

[00:02:41] No gimmicks.

[00:02:42] They were just a good basketball team that played a brand of basketball similar to what we see more today in the NBA,

[00:02:49] rather than the jokes and gimmicks we're used to now.

[00:02:52] But then came the 1950 NBA draft.

[00:02:54] And by this point, the league was starting to grow a little bit bigger.

[00:02:58] And Major League Baseball, the largest American sports league at the time, had been segregated.

[00:03:05] Jackie Robinson had broke the color barrier and already been named an MVP.

[00:03:08] So basketball was starting to do the same.

[00:03:10] And in the 1950 draft, Chuck Cooper ended up being the 12th overall pick.

[00:03:16] With Earl Lloyd going as the 100th overall pick in the ninth round.

[00:03:21] And the New York Knicks would later sign another Harlem Globetrotters, Nate Sweetwater Clifton.

[00:03:26] As all three of these basketball players were African American and all three had played with the Harlem Globetrotters,

[00:03:32] the top African American team at the time.

[00:03:35] And the reason why Earl Lloyd is the first African American player in the NBA was because he was drafted by the Washington Capitals,

[00:03:42] who played one day before Chuck Cooper of the Boston Celtics and four days before Nate Sweetwater Clifton of the New York Knicks.

[00:03:51] So that's one of the reasons why we don't remember Earl as much, because there's other ones breaking the barrier with him.

[00:03:58] It wasn't him just alone.

[00:03:59] Now, Jackie Robinson did have Larry Doby, who also broke the color barrier in the American League that same year.

[00:04:06] But these were done so close together that they kind of get lumped into a group.

[00:04:10] And they were all Harlem Globetrotters. They have a lot of connections.

[00:04:13] But also another issue was he had played seven games with the Capitals and then they folded.

[00:04:19] And shortly after that, he got drafted into the U.S. Army and had to fulfill his military duties.

[00:04:24] And then when he came back in the 1953-54 season, he was then signed by the Syracuse Nationals, who would later on become the Philadelphia 76ers.

[00:04:36] He would also play with the Fort Wade and Pistons, who later became the Detroit Pistons.

[00:04:41] And along with a teammate he had on that team, Jim Tucker became the first African Americans to play on an NBA championship team.

[00:04:48] But he would retire in 1960 after just a nine-year basketball career.

[00:04:54] And another reason why he's not as well known as the likes of Jackie Robinson is that even though he had a solid career,

[00:05:00] he only averaged eight points, six rebounds, and one assist over his career.

[00:05:05] He was more of a defensive-focused player, which is great on a team, but is often unsung and forgot about, even on the greatest of players.

[00:05:13] So whereas Jackie Robinson was an all-star winning MVPs, Earl Lloyd was just a quality player that every team needs.

[00:05:21] Now after retirement, he went into coaching and actually ended up becoming the first African American assistant coach in the NBA.

[00:05:28] He was named the head coach, making him the first full-time African American head coach in 1971.

[00:05:35] As previous African American coaches, John McClendon and Bill Russell were player coaches.

[00:05:41] But following a slow start, he was relinquished of his duties, but would go on to work with the Pistons as a scout,

[00:05:48] discovering great players such as Willis Reed and Earl Monroe.

[00:05:51] And he would go on to work in the Detroit public school system, working with underprivileged children, teaching them job skills.

[00:05:58] And he would later be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and have February 9th, 2001, be known as Earl Lloyd Day in Virginia,

[00:06:06] and would get inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

[00:06:11] And the basketball court in the famous T.C. Williams High School, which is known for Remember the Titans,

[00:06:18] is actually named after Earl Lloyd, who grew up in that same town.

[00:06:22] And his best season was in 1954, where he scored 10 points, had 7 rebounds, and 2 assists, all career highs.

[00:06:30] But it is a far cry from being stardom.

[00:06:33] But just because he wasn't a superstar on the basketball court,

[00:06:37] him breaking down these barriers, along with his former teammates of the Globetrotters,

[00:06:42] allowed the sport to open its doors.

[00:06:44] And now over 70% of NBA players are African American.

[00:06:48] And each one of them can thank Earl Lloyd for breaking down these barriers over 70 years ago,

[00:06:56] allowing them the chance and the opportunity to make it to the NBA to live out their dreams.

[00:07:03] And if you want to learn more about basketball history, check out the podcast Once Upon a Dribble.

[00:07:10] Host Josh and Calvin dive into interesting topics surrounding basketball history,

[00:07:16] giving you a specific deep dive into what's going on into basketball and how it has grown into the game it is today.

[00:07:22] And when there's going to be a link in the show description for you to check out their show.

[00:07:26] If you enjoyed today's episode, please leave us a like or a five star rating wherever you're listening.

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[00:07:40] And come back tomorrow for more daily sports history.

[00:07:45] And did you catch the answer to today's trivia question?

[00:07:47] What two other African Americans made their debut in 1950 with Earl Lloyd?

[00:07:52] And the answer is Chuck Cooper with the Boston Celtics and Nate Sweetwater Clifton with the New York Knicks,

[00:07:58] all three of which previously played with the Harlem Globetrotters.

[00:08:02] So thank you for joining us.

[00:08:02] Thanks so much for joining us.