Celebrating key Black players, coaches and referees who helped ... First Black female referee: Violet Palmer made history as the NBA’s first female referee on Oct. 31, 1997, when she officiated ...

Cooper was the first Black player ever drafted by an NBA team. Clifton was the first to sign an NBA contract. Lloyd was the ...

In February for Black History Month, USA TODAY Sports is ... Hall of Fame in 2003 and died in 2015. Two other Black players entered the NBA in 1950, the same year as Lloyd. One was Nat Clifton ...

Here is a look at 10 outstanding players who made their mark on the NBA in very unique ways that were very successful.

The NBA has recently celebrated and acknowledged the 75th anniversary of the first three Black players to take the ... during Black History Month. “I am excited about the fact that we are ...

Michael Jordan and LeBron James, left, are two of the most influential Black NBA players. Considering the storied history of the NBA, the league has seen a plethora of influential Black ...

The NBA has been dominated by black players since the 1990s ... Over a year ago, history was made when half of the league featured black head coaches. The teams that have coaches who are of ...

Runstedtler is a professor at American University and a scholar of African American history whose ... be apolitical. Black players also leveraged the existence of the NBA’s competing league ...

Carrying the weight of history, these first Black NBA players entered arenas where many didn’t want them and still played at a high level. In a time of segregation, they proved that their ...