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 Clifton, circa 1949 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1922-10-13)October 13, 1922 England, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | August 31, 1990(1990-08-31) (aged 67) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | DuSable (Chicago, Illinois) |
| College | Xavier (Louisiana) (1942–1943) |
| Playing career | 1945–1961 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 19, 8, 24 |
| Career history | |
| 1945–1947 | New York Rens |
| 1947–1950 | Harlem Globetrotters |
| 1950–1957 | New York Knicks |
| 1957–1958 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1961 | Chicago Majors |
| Career highlights | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 5,444 (10.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,469 (8.2 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,367 (2.5 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Nathaniel "Sweetwater"Clifton (bornClifton Nathaniel; October 13, 1922 – August 31, 1990) was an American professionalbasketball player[1] who was one of the firstAfrican Americans to play in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He was also a professionalbaseball player.
Born inEngland, Arkansas, as Clifton Nathaniel,[2] he was given the "Sweetwater" nickname as a boy because of his love ofsoft drinks and his easy disposition.[3] His family moved toChicago, Illinois, when he was eight.[2] Clifton became an outstanding basketball and baseball player atDuSable High School.[2] He reversed his two names when sportswriters complained that his last name, Nathaniel, was too long to fit in their headlines.[2] He graduated in 1942.
Clifton attendedXavier University of Louisiana inNew Orleans and then served with theUnited States Army for three years, fighting inEurope duringWorld War II.
After the war, Clifton joined theNew 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 theHarlem Globetrotters, for whom he played from the summer of 1948 to the spring of 1950. Still a talented baseballfirst baseman, during the basketball off-season in 1949 Clifton played for theChicago American Giants inNegro league baseball. By 1950, his performance with the Globetrotters, in particular his exceptional ball-handling ability, led to his signing a contract with an NBA team.
On May 24, 1950, Clifton became the second African-American player to sign an NBA contract.[a] He played his first game for theNew York Knicks on November 4, four days after the debut ofWashington Capitols playerEarl Lloyd, the first black player to appear in an NBA game.[9] Already 27 years old when he made his debut, Clifton in his first season helped lead the team to its first-ever appearance in the NBA finals, losing in game seven. During his eight seasons in the NBA, Clifton averaged 10 points and 9 rebounds per game. He was named to the1957 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.[10]
In 1957, Clifton was part of a multi-player trade between the Knicks and theFort Wayne Pistons, but after one season inDetroit he retired from basketball. In the summer of 1958, he joined theDetroit Stars baseball team in the Negro leagues, along with his former Harlem Globetrotters teammateReece "Goose" Tatum.
In 1961, he was coaxed out of retirement by theChicago Majors of the fledglingAmerican Basketball League (ABL). After the league folded at the end of 1962, the 40-year-old Clifton retired permanently.
Clifton died at age 67 on August 31, 1990, inChicago.[3] He was interred in theRestvale Cemetery in the Chicago suburb ofAlsip.[11]
Clifton's contributions to his community during his sporting career and after his playing days, have been recognized by the Associated Black Charities ofNew York City. They have honored him by naming one of the Black History Maker Awards the Nathaniel 'Sweetwater' Clifton Award.
In 2005, the New York Knicks basketball team renamed their monthly City Spirit Award in his honor. The Sweetwater Clifton City Spirit Award is given to a member of the community who goes above and beyond his or her normal duties to make the lives of others in thetri-state area better.
Clifton, who played softball for the Brown Bombers and Capitol Records team of the Daddy-O Daylie League, was also inducted into Chicago16-inch softball Hall of Fame.[12]
On February 14, 2014, Clifton was announced as a 2014 inductee by theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He formally entered the Hall as a contributor on August 8.[13][14]
Sweetwater, a film on Clifton's life, had been in planning with Sunset Pictures since 2007 and was released on April 14, 2023.[15][16]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–51 | New York | 65 | – | .322 | .532 | 7.6 | 2.5 | 8.6 |
| 1951–52 | New York | 62 | 33.9 | .335 | .664 | 11.8 | 3.4 | 10.6 |
| 1952–53 | New York | 70 | 35.7 | .343 | .583 | 10.9 | 3.3 | 10.6 |
| 1953–54 | New York | 72 | 30.3 | .368 | .628 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 9.6 |
| 1954–55 | New York | 72 | 33.2 | .386 | .683 | 8.5 | 2.8 | 13.1 |
| 1955–56 | New York | 64 | 24.0 | .394 | .707 | 6.0 | 2.4 | 8.8 |
| 1956–57 | New York | 71 | 31.4 | .377 | .673 | 7.8 | 2.3 | 10.7 |
| 1957–58 | Detroit | 68 | 21.1 | .363 | .623 | 5.9 | 1.1 | 7.7 |
| Career | 544 | 30.0 | .361 | .633 | 8.2 | 2.5 | 10.0 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 23.0 | .364 | – | 11.0 | 3.0 | 8.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | New York | 14 | – | .347 | .391 | 9.8 | 3.3 | 7.1 |
| 1952 | New York | 14 | 33.0 | .293 | .711 | 9.5 | 2.4 | 9.4 |
| 1953 | New York | 11 | 36.8 | .395 | .638 | 12.7 | 3.5 | 12.0 |
| 1954 | New York | 4 | 31.3 | .296 | .529 | 9.8 | 1.5 | 6.3 |
| 1955 | New York | 3 | 36.7 | .385 | .792 | 7.7 | 4.3 | 19.7 |
| 1958 | Detroit | 7 | 10.6 | .367 | .750 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 4.0 |
| Career | 53 | 30.2 | .348 | .624 | 9.3 | 2.7 | 9.0 | |
· Basketball Reference