Earl Lloyd

Earl Lloyd
Lloyd, (right) shakes hands with Walter E. Gaskin in January 2006
Personal information
Born(1928-04-03)April 3, 1928
Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.[1]
DiedFebruary 26, 2015(2015-02-26) (aged 86)
Crossville, Tennessee, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolParker-Gray (Alexandria, Virginia)
CollegeWest Virginia State (1946–1950)
NBA draft1950: 9th round, 100th overall pick
Selected by the Washington Capitols
Playing career1950–1960
PositionSmall forward
Number11, 8, 17
Coaching career1971–1972
Career history
As player:
1950–1951Washington Capitols
19521958Syracuse Nationals
19581960Detroit Pistons
As coach:
19711972Detroit Pistons
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points4,682 (8.4 ppg)
Rebounds3,609 (6.4 rpg)
Assists810 (1.4 apg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame

Earl Francis Lloyd (April 3, 1928 – February 26, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was the first African American player to play a game in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[2][3][4][5][6]

An All–American player at West Virginia State University, Lloyd helped lead West Virginia State to an undefeated season in 1948. As a professional, Lloyd helped lead the Syracuse Nationals to the 1955 NBA Championship. Lloyd was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference LVA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Ramsey, David (February 16, 2005). "Earl Lloyd: A Basketball Pioneer". NBA.com/Sixers. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  3. ^ "Earl Lloyd | American basketball player". Encyclopedia Britannica. February 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "Earl Lloyd becomes first black player in the NBA - HISTORY". www.history.com.
  5. ^ "Earl Lloyd dies; helped break NBA race barrier". ESPN.com. February 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "Earl Francis Lloyd's Biography".