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Earl Lloyd was the first African American player to play a game in the NBA.
Earl Lloyd was the first African American player to play a game in the NBA.

Earl Lloyd

Department / Unit
Former NBA Player
Impact

Earl Lloyd was the first African American player to play in an NBA game.
In 1970, he became the first full-time Black American head coach in the NBA. Lloyd was later inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Teams

As a player, Earl Lloyd played for the Washington Capitols (1950-1951), the Syracuse Nationals (1952-1958), and the Detroit Pistons (1958-1960).
Lloyd coached for the Detroit Pistons from 1971 to 1972.

Stats

Position: Small Forward
Over nine seasons, Earl Lloyd played in over 560 games and averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.