Earl Lloyd Tribute

Earl Lloyd, the first African American player in the NBA, passed away one year ago at the age of 86 on Feb. 26, 2015. Here is a photo tribute to "The Big Cat."

SI Staff | Feb 27, 2015

Earl Lloyd Tribute /

Earl Lloyd Tribute

Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images

Earl Lloyd, a forward known for his defense who played collegiately at West Virginia State College, was selected in the ninth-round of the 1950 NBA Draft by the Washington Capitols.

Earl Lloyd made his NBA debut on Oct. 31, 1950, as a member of the Washington Capitols. He was one of four African American players to play in the league that season. However his team disbanded after seven games.

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Earl Lloyd played nine seasons in the NBA, six with the Syracuse Nationals, missing the 1951-52 season to serve in the U.S. Army.

Fort Wayne's Mel Hutchins and Syracuse's Earl Lloyd reach for the ball during the 1955 NBA Finals. The Syracuse Nationals won the series 4-3 over the Fort Wayne Pistons.

The World Champions of Basketball Syracuse Nationals pose for a team portrait in 1955. Earl Lloyd (11) and Jim Tucker (14) were the first two African Americans to play on an NBA championship team.

Earl Lloyd shoots a layup against Tom Gola during a game between the Syracuse Nationals and Philadelphia Warriors in 1956.

1956-Neil-Johnson-Earl-Lloyd-Dolph-Schayes-George-King.jpg — AP

Earl Lloyd blocks a shot by Neil Johnson during a game between the Syracuse Nationals and Philadelphia Warriors in 1956.

Earl Lloyd shoots a layup against Jack Nichols during a game between the Syracuse Nationals and Boston Celtics in 1958.

Earl Lloyd of the Detroit Pistons poses for a portrait in 1959. Lloyd played two seasons with the Pistons before retiring in 1960.

Earl Lloyd also became the NBA's first black assistant coach in 1968 with the Detroit Pistons and later become one of the league's first black head coaches, also with the Pistons.

Earl Lloyd poses for a portrait in 2000. For his career, he averaged 8.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists, scoring 4,682 points in 560 games. The forward's best season came in 1954-55, when he averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds, both of which were career highs.

Earl Lloyd shakes hands with Bill Russell, the first African American head coach, during a Symposium at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis in 2003.

Bob Lanier, Will Robinson, Earl Lloyd and Dave Bing pose for a picture at halftime of Game 2 of the Pistons-Magic first round series during the 2003 NBA Playoffs in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Earl Lloyd was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2003.

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Earl Lloyd and Dolph Schayes are honored at a 76ers-Warriors in 2005 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

Earl Lloyd is honored to celebrate black history month during a Hawks-Heat game in Feb. 2012 at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Published Feb 27, 2015

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