National Basketball Association - The first African American players in the National Basketball Association in the twentieth century all came into the league in 1950. They were Earl Francis Lloyd (Washington Capitols), Charles Henry Cooper (Boston Celtics), and Nathaniel Clifton (New York Knicks). They all began their college careers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). On October 31, 1950, 21-year-old Llyod was drafted in the ninth round where he became the first Black athlete to play in the NBA with the Washington Capitols.
Lloyd, 6′ 6″, was born on April 3, 1928, in Alexandria, Virginia and graduated from Parker-Gray High School in 1946. He enrolled in West Virginia State University in 1946, where he was an All–American player and received his Bachelor of Science in health and physical education in 1950.
Lloyd also played for nine seasons with the Syracuse Nationals (who later became the Philadelphia 76ers). In 1970, Lloyd became the first full-time African American head coach in the NBA when he coached the Detroit Pistons for a year.

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After his basketball career, Lloyd worked during the 1970s and 1980s as a job placement administrator for the Detroit public school system. During this time, Lloyd also ran programs for underprivileged children teaching job skills.