Who was the first black person in the NBA?

Answer 1

This gets a little complicated depending on your definition of Player.

• Chuck Cooper was the first one who was drafted to the NBA (Boston)
• Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton was the first one to sign an NBA contract (New York)
• Earl Lloyd was the first one to actually play in a regularly scheduled season game (Washington).
• Some black kid from West New York, NJ. His name was Gregory.

Answer 2

Wat Misaka, who was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1947, was recently honored by the Knicks Basketball franchise at a presentation during a game at Madison Square Garden. Misaka was the first non-white person to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA which was then known as the Basketball Association of America or BAA).

Answer 3

There are three players who claim to be the first African American basketball player in the NBA, each with legitimate reason to claim this.

- Chuck Cooper: first African American to be drafted by an NBA team

- Nat Clifton: first African American to sign a contract and make the roster with an NBA team

- Earl Lloyd: first African American to play in an NBA game

Answer 4

Earl Lloyd

Lloyd, a forward known for his defense, played collegiately at West Virginia State College, was selected in the ninth-round of the 1950 NBA Draft by theWashington Capitols. On October 31, 1950, Lloyd became the first African-American to play in an NBA game, against the Rochester Royals.