Earl Lloyd, the first black player to appear in an NBA game, has died.
He was 86. According to WXYZ-Detroit, he died on Thursday.
RIP Earl Lloyd. Lloyd was first African American to play in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/TgGJWulof5
— Slam Dunk Zone (@SDZ_Media) February 27, 2015
Earl Lloyd, first African-American to play in NBA, has passed away. Had the great pleasure of meeting him & chatting. pic.twitter.com/hRoWnH7vwB
— Tom Leyden (@TomLeyden) February 26, 2015
RIP Earl Lloyd, first black player in the NBA. I had the pleasure to interview him for @wfuvsports back in 2004 pic.twitter.com/vmjwrJiCUY
— Joe Buono (@JBuono611) February 27, 2015
In a previous interview, Lloyd recalled the difficulty in being the only black player in the league.
“(Fans) would say stuff like, ‘Go back to Africa,'” Lloyd told NBA.com.”And I’m telling you, you would often hear the N-word. That was commonplace. There were a lot of people who sat close to you who gave you the blues, man.”
Lloyd started his career in 1950, playing for the Washington Capitols. He later played for the Syracuse Nationals and later, the Detroit Pistons.
He also coached for the Pistons in the early 1970s.
Nicknamed “The Big Cat,” Lloyd won his single NBA championship with the Nationals in 1955.
Lloyd, who was 6 ft 5 and weighed 225 pounds, was a small forward.
