Earl Lloyd, the National Basketball Association’s first Black player, has died. Lloyd was 86. Along with three other Black players, Lloyd integrated the formerly all-white league and helped usher in a new age of diversity in professional sports. Lloyd, born April 3, 1928 in Alexandria, Va., first starred at West Virginia State University. Although […]

HBCU Sports, NBA, Staff Picks

Earl Lloyd, the first black player in NBA history, died Thursday. He was 86. Lloyd’s alma mater, West Virginia State, confirmed the death. It did not provide details. Lloyd made his NBA debut in 1950 for the Washington Capitals, just before fellow black players Sweetwater Clifton and Chuck Cooper played their first games. “The State […]

If You Missed It, Little Known Black History Facts, Originals

Today marks the anniversary that basketball great Earl Lloyd, Sr. became the first African-American in the NBA. Lloyd, who was a student at West Virginia State College, was chosen as a 9th round draft pick by the Washington Capitols. He was unaware that he was chosen until a fellow student on campus mentioned a rumor […]