Who was the first Black basketball player to have played in the NBA?

Earl Lloyd made NBA history by becoming the first Black basketball player to ever check into a game 72 years ago. It was a historic occasion as the 6-foot-5, 200-pound West Virginia State alum took the court for the Washington Capitols.

At West Virginia State, Lloyd led the team to Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships in back-to-back years. His play earned him All-Conference honors as well as the title of All-American twice over. Thanks to his dominant play, West Virginia State was the only undefeated collegiate team in the U.S.

After graduating, he was selected 100th by the Capitols in the ninth round of the 1950 NBA draft. While he entered the league at the same time as two other Black players, Chuck Cooper and Nat Clifton, he was the first to ever check into an NBA game.

In 2013, two years before his death, Lloyd spoke to NPR.org to reflect on his first NBA game. Despite incredible racial tensions, he had old coaches and teammates around the league who made sure he felt the love. While the crowds weren't always friendly, knowing he had friendly faces around made a difference.

"To be honest, it was a walk in the park," Lloyd said. "I always say that if someone had to handpick a place to play their first game as a Black player, it would be Rochester, N.Y. In that part of the country in the wintertime, no one hates anyone. You see Black folks and white folks pushing each other's cars through the snow."

A tale of two cities, Earl Lloyd's experience as the first Black basketball player

While his first experience in the NBA was a good one, not everywhere was as friendly as Rochester, New York. There were several points throughout his career when he experienced profound racism. From being refused service to being spat on and receiving racist comments, Lloyd saw it all.

Despite the hostility he faced, he remained focused on being the best player he possibly could be. As he said in the same interview, after his NBA debut in Rochester, the team headed to hostile territory.

Denver Nuggets v Los Angeles Clippers - Game Five

(Suggested Reading: Kevin Durant unlikely to be traded before deadline)

"The next day we were in St. Louis," Lloyd said. "That was not a nice place to be in 1950. That was a not a nice place to be. But there was no Klansmen (at that first game) and all that, with signs and ropes. It was too cold for all that."

As he famously said, his situation wasn't like Jackie Robinson's historic breaking of baseball's color barrier. At the time, he said, many collegiate basketball programs were interracial, unlike the MLB. While Jackie Robinson dealt with racism from his own teammates, there was little of that in the NBA.

Above, you can view some of Earl Lloyd's highlights from throughout his historic career.

(Suggested Reading: Miami Heat possible landing spot for Westbrook in event of LA buyout)