Earl Lloyd, who was the first African-American to play in NBA while playing for the Washington Capitols, has died at the age of 86 in Tennessee.
According to The Gazette, there are no details as to the cause of the basketball pioneer’s death, but friends of the family originally broke the news.
Lloyd’s first game as a player was on Oct. 31, 1950, and was also the first African-American bench coach, as he coached the Detroit Pistons in 1971 until 1972. He was later elected into the Hall of Fame in 2002.
He stopped playing in the league in 1960, and revealed that he never experienced any racism from players while playing as the first African-American, but did from a number of fans.
Earl Lloyd was also the first African-American, along with his Syracuse teammate Jim Tucker, to play on a championship NBA team.
Our condolences go out to Earl Lloyd’s loved ones.
SOURCE: The Gazette, WXYZ | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
Earl Lloyd, First African-American To Play In The NBA, Dead At 86 was originally published on globalgrind.com
