NBA Honors First Three Black Men to Break League’s Color Barrier on 75th Anniversary

They changed the game, literally!

Seventy-five years ago, three trailblazing Black men—Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton, Chuck Cooper, and Earl Lloyd—changed the face of professional basketball forever. During the 1950-51 season, they made history as the first Black players to officially take the court in the National Basketball Association, paving the way for generations of athletes to come.

Now, as part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary recognition of that landmark moment, the league and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) are joining forces to honor these pioneers annually beginning next season during Black History Month, Black Enterprise reports.

“I am excited about the fact that we are going to honor the legacy, the courage and determination of these pioneers and also many players that have come after them,” said NBPA president and New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum.

“But it starts with them and how they transformed the NBA and how they inspired players like myself. They faced a lot of extremely difficult challenges from racism to discrimination. But they showed tremendous resolve to overcome these obstacles and still figure out a way to perform at a high level,” McCollum added.

Each player made a historic first. Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton became the first Black player to sign an NBA contract after the New York Knicks acquired him from the Harlem Globetrotters in May 1950. Chuck Cooper was the first Black player ever drafted by an NBA team when the Boston Celtics selected him 13th overall in the second round of the same year’s draft. And Earl Lloyd, who was picked by the Washington Capitals in the ninth round, made history on October 31, 1950, when he became the first Black player to take the court in a regular season game.

Lloyd’s impact didn’t stop there. He went on to become one of the NBA’s first Black head coaches with the Detroit Pistons, and alongside Jim Tucker, was one of the first Black players to win an NBA championship, claiming the title with the Syracuse Nationals in 1955.

To celebrate their lasting influence, the NBPA will release a series of three tribute videos highlighting the lives and legacies of Clifton, Cooper, and Lloyd across its social and digital platforms. The NBA’s new annual recognition reinforces the league’s commitment to acknowledging the players whose bravery and brilliance helped shape the game.

Cover photo: NBA Honors First Three Black Men to Break League’s Color Barrier on 75th Anniversary/(l to r) Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd, and Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton/Photo credit: NBAE/Getty Images/SLAM