Earl Lloyd, NBA's First Black Player, Dies At Age 86
NPR
Friday, February 27, 2015
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Earl Lloyd makes a block against Neil Johnson (6) on March 28,1956 in first quarter at Syracuse's War Memorial Auditorium. (AP)
Earl Lloyd broke down color barriers in professional basketball in 1950, three years after Jackie Robinson integrated baseball.
At 6’5″, Lloyd started out as a forward for the Washington Capitals, after being a star player at the black college West Virginia State.
He also became the NBA’s first black assistant coach in 1968 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Ken Shouler is the author of “Total Basketball: The Ultimate Basketball Encyclopedia.” He speaks with Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti about Earl Lloyd’s legacy.
Guest
- Ken Shouler, author of “Total Basketball: The Ultimate Basketball Encyclopedia.”
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