Earl Lloyd
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- In full:
- Earl Francis Lloyd
- Born:
- April 3, 1928,Alexandria,Virginia, U.S.
- Died:
- February 26, 2015, Crossville,Tennessee (aged 86)
- Awards And Honors:
- Basketball Hall of Fame (2003)
Earl Lloyd (born April 3, 1928,Alexandria,Virginia, U.S.—died February 26, 2015, Crossville, Tennessee) was abasketball player who was the first African American to play in theNational Basketball Association (NBA).
In the spring of 1950 Lloyd, who playedcollegiate basketball at West Virginia State College, was the second black player to be drafted by an NBA team; Chuck Cooper had been chosen by theBoston Celtics a few picks before Lloyd’s selection by the Washington Capitols. Nate ("Sweetwater") Clifton, however, was the first African American to sign an NBA contract, joining theNew York Knicks that summer. The schedule resulted in Lloyd being the first black player to take the court in an NBA game, on October 31, 1950. He scored six points in that first game.
Lloyd enjoyed a long career in the NBA and continued his pioneering role as a coach. After a briefstint in the army, he returned to the NBA, where he was a key player for theSyracuse Nationals (1952–58), helping the team win the championship in 1955. He finished his playing career with theDetroit Pistons (1958–60). He later rejoined the Pistons as the first African American assistant coach (1968–70) in the league and the second African American head coach (1971–72). He also worked as a scout for the Pistons. In 2003 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
