Unless you’re a hardcore basketball fan or a black history buff, there’s a good chance you’re not familiar with the name of Earl Lloyd. Though we often celebrate many firsts by African Americans in sports, Lloyd’s name has seemingly fallen by the wayside. Though his legacy is overshadowed by Jackie Robinson’s leap as the first black player in MLB a few years prior, Lloyd, the first black NBA player, helped the league pave the way to becoming a model of diversity.
After a successful four-year career at West Virginia State, which included an undefeated season (1947-’48) and two All-American selections (1949, 1950), Lloyd was selected in the ninth round of the 1950 draft by the Washington Capitols. When he stepped on the court October 31, Lloyd made history.
Though he was technically the first black player to compete in a NBA game, unlike Robinson, Lloyd had two contemporaries of color. Chuck Cooper and Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton were both chosen in the same draft and shared the spotlight as integration made its way to the hardwood.
Of course, college basketball had already been integrated, so the level of shock and hate was a far cry from what Robinson faced. Still, Lloyd and the others faced the same challenges as African Americans throughout the nation as they were subject to racism and often unable to eat or sleep in the same places as their white teammates.
Still, Lloyd handled himself with dignity and eloquence, in contrast to his rugged and physical game.
Racism wasn’t the only issue Lloyd was forced to deal with. The 6’5” forward had to fight to simply to stay in the league. A mere seven games into his inaugural season, his original team folded and his historic beginning came to an abrupt end.
Rather than join another team, Lloyd chose to enlist in the Army until he found his way back to the league after being claimed by the Syracuse Nationals.
He had his best season in 1955, when he averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game and helped his team to the NBA Championship, becoming the first black player (along with teammate Jim Tucker) to achieve that feat. He spent six total seasons in Syracuse followed by two with the Detroit Pistons.
Though Lloyd was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2003 as a contributor, his modest averages of 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game won’t earn him placement on the list of greatest basketball players in history. However, the impact left by him, Cooper and Clifton is clearly visible today as the NBA is driven by diversity and international flavor. More than 70 percent of today’s NBA players are black.
While players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant have piggybacked on Lloyd’s path, each year the league sees an increasing amount of international players as well. Players such as Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Tony Parker (France), Manu Ginobili (Argentina), Nene (Brazil), Luol Deng (South Sudan/Great Britian) have all enjoyed great success and popularity in the league.
In addition to diversifying the audience for season games, the popularity of Olympic basketball has skyrocketed as fans now have a reason to watch games not featuring the U.S. Fans tune in to watch their favorite players compete, regardless of the flag on their jersey. The NBA is now truly an international sport.
Far too many people fail to recognize that Lloyd paved the way as a member of the league’s first foray into diversity.
