Lloyd, right, shakes hands with Walter E. Gaskin in January 2006
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Personal information | |
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Born |
Alexandria, Virginia |
April 3, 1928
Died | February 26, 2015 Crossville, Tennessee |
(aged 86)
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Parker-Gray (Alexandria, Virginia) |
College | West Virginia State (1946–1950) |
NBA draft | 1950 / Round: 9 / Pick: 100th overall |
Selected by the Washington Capitols | |
Playing career | 1950–1960 |
Position | Small forward |
Number | 11, 8, 17 |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1950–1951 | Washington Capitols |
1952–1958 | Syracuse Nationals |
1958–1960 | Detroit Pistons |
As coach: | |
1971–1972 | Detroit Pistons |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Career statistics | |
Points | 4,682 (8.4 ppg) |
Rebounds | 3,609 (6.4 rpg) |
Assists | 810 (1.4 apg) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Basketball Hall of Fame |
Earl Francis Lloyd (April 3, 1928 – February 26, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He was the first black person to play in the National Basketball Association, in the 1950–51 NBA season. Three other African Americans played in the same season: Chuck Cooper, Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton, and Hank DeZonie.
Lloyd played collegiately at West Virginia State College, and was selected in the ninth-round of the 1950 NBA draft by the Washington Capitols. On October 31, 1950, Lloyd became the first African American to play in an NBA game, against the Rochester Royals.
Earl Lloyd was born in Alexandria, Virginia on April 3, 1928. His parents were Theodore Lloyd, Sr. and Daisy Lloyd. His father worked in the coal industry and his mother was a stay-at-home mom. Being a high school standout, Lloyd was named to the All-South Atlantic Conference three times and the All-State Virginia Interscholastic Conference twice. Lloyd did attend a segregated school, but gives gratitude to his family and educators for helping him through the tough times and his success after school. Lloyd was a 1946 graduate of Parker-Grey High School and received a scholarship to play basketball at West Virginia State, home of the Yellow Jackets. In school he was nicknamed "Moon Fixer" because of his size and was known as a defensive specialist.
Lloyd led West Virginia State to two CIAA Conference and Tournament Championships in 1948 and 1949. He was named All-Conference three times (1948–50) and was All-American twice, as named by the Pittsburgh Courier (1949–50). As a senior, he averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game, while leading West Virginia State to a second-place finish in the CIAA Conference and Tournament Championship. In 1947–48, West Virginia State was the only undefeated team in the United States.