Three black college basketball pioneers honored during 2025 NBA Draft

LUT WILLIAMS

BCSP Editor

Three black college legends who broke the color line in the NBA some 75 years ago were honored during the first day of last week’s 2025 NBA Draft at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn.

Those honored were the late Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton who played at Xavier of Louisiana during the 1942-43 season and had stints with the New York Rens (1945-47) and Harlem Globetrotters (1947-50), the late Chuck Cooper, who played the 1944-45 season at then Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) member West Virginia State before finishing his career at Duquesne (1946-50), and the late Earl Lloyd who starred at WVSU from 1946 to 1950.

All made their NBA debuts in 1950.

Cooper, after an all-American playing career at Duquesne, was drafted with the 13th pick of the first round of the 1950 draft by the Boston Celtics. He is the first African-American ever selected in the NBA Draft.

Lloyd was next, taken with the second pick of 1950’s ninth round, 100th overall, by the Washington Capitals.

Clifton, after a three-year stint in the Army and short stints with the Rens and Globetrotters, signed with the New York Knicks in 1950 at age 27.

The three were posthumously celebrated for their courage and unwavering contributions to the integration and advancement of the NBA.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was joined onstage for the honors by the children of Cooper, Lloyd, and Clifton, as well as Naismith Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and four-time NBA champion Andre Iguodala.

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“Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd, Nat ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton, three NBA pioneers, the league’s first black players who 75 years ago made history,” said Silver during his remarks honoring the historic trio. “As we continue to welcome the next generation of players into the league tonight, we also celebrate the accomplishments of the legends who came before them.”

Silver continued, “Your fathers hold a special place in the creation of the modern NBA. They were courageous, they showed resolve, and they represent a thread that continues today: the power of sports to bring people together. We are honored to recognize their lasting contributions to the game.”

African-Americans now constitute approximately 70% of current NBA players.

Lloyd has the distinction of being the first African-American to play in an NBA game debuting for the Capitals on Oct. 31, 1950. Cooper made his first appearance for the Celtics on November 1 while Clifton played his first Knicks’ game on November 4.

Cooper and Clifton have both been marked as the first African-Americans to ink an NBA contract.

Lloyd played nine seasons in the NBA, including stints with the Capitols, Syracuse Nationals and Detroit Pistons. He was a key player for the Nationals, contributing to their 1955 NBA championship win.

After his playing career, Lloyd became the first African American assistant coach in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons in 1968. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003 as a contributor.

An All–American player at WVSU, Lloyd helped lead Yellow Jackets to an undefeated season in 1948.

He led WVSU to two CIAA regular season and tournament championships in 1948 and 1949. He was named All–CIAA three times (1948–50) and was All-American twice, as named by the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper (1949–50). As a senior, he averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game, while leading WVSU to a second–place finish in the CIAA regular season and tournament championship. In 1947–48, West Virginia State was the only undefeated team in the United States, with a 30–0 record. Lloyd graduated from WVSU with his B.S. degree in physical education in 1950.

Prior to being drafted in the 1950 Draft, Lloyd starred in the lineup of the Harlem Globetrotters. He led the team to two wins over the reigning NBA champion Minneapolis Lakers.

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After playing just one semester at WVSU, Cooper was drafted to serve in the United States Navy in the final stages of World War II. He returned to his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to play for the Duquesne Dukes.

During his time at Duquesne, the team had a 78–19 record and was invited to the then-prestigious National Invitation Tournament twice. He was a captain for the 1949–50 team, which was the first team from the university to be nationally ranked all season, finishing with a 23–6 record and ranked sixth nationally. He was named a consensus second-team All-American in 1950. According to the November 18, 1950 issue of the Afro-American newspaper, he was the first Black “basketer” to be named an All-American college athlete.

Coming out of college in 1950, Cooper, like Lloyd and Clifton, signed with the Globetrotters. He was drafted by Celtics’ owner Walter A. Brown, coached by the legendary Red Auerbach and a teammate of the great Bob Cousy, who was the fourth selection in the 1950 draft. When officials from other teams learned of Boston’s interest in Cooper, they suggested he should not be drafted because he was black; however, Brown’s famous quote was: “I don’t give a damn if he’s striped, plaid or polka dot. Boston takes Charles Cooper of Duquesne.”

Cooper played four years with the Celtics then was traded to the Milwaukee Hawks before ending his career as a member of the Ft. Wayne Pistons. After that, he spent a year playing for the Harlem Magicians before injuring his back in a car crash and leaving basketball.

Cooper was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2019.

After the war, Clifton joined the New York Rens, an all-black professional basketball team that toured throughout the United States. Noted for his large hands, which required a size 14 glove, he was invited to join the Harlem Globetrotters, for whom he played from the summer of 1948 to the spring of 1950.

During his eight seasons in the NBA, Clifton averaged 10 points and 9 rebounds per game. He was named to the 1957 NBA All-Star team, scoring 8 points in 23 minutes in the game. At age 34, he became the oldest player in NBA history to be named a first time All-Star.

In 1957, Clifton was part of a multi-player trade between the Knicks and the Fort Wayne Pistons, but after one season in Detroit he retired from basketball.

On February 14, 2014, Clifton was announced as a 2014 inductee by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He formally entered the Hall as a contributor on August 8.

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