Post by jb on Mar 8, 2008 17:48:57 GMT -5
Our this week's guest is Hall of Fame, player and coach; Earl Lloyd.
While there is no "Jackie Robinson" of the NBA, partly because the NBA was just starting out and partly because three African American players entered the league in the same season, Mr. Lloyd was the first to play in a game; on Halloween, Oct. 31st., 1950.
We must thank friend of the show and regular guest, Mark Spears, for this opportunity.
Mark had a wonderful column on Earl, published in the Boston Globe on Jan. 21st. In that article Lloyd gives thanks to the Celtics for opening the door to himself and the others to follow.
"I truly believe this, that if the Celtics did not draft Chuck [Cooper] in the second round, you could not tell me that the Washington Capitols in 1950 were going to make me the first black player to play in this league. No way . . . The Boston Celtics had a tremendous influence on my acceptance in the NBA," said Lloyd in a recent phone interview.
Later this month, Lloyd will be among those featured in an ESPN film entitled: "Black Magic." Here is a blurb from Fred Mitchell's March 4th column in the Chicago Tribune.
On March 16, a powerful documentary titled "Black Magic" will be shown on ESPN, detailing the history of college basketball in America in conjunction with the Civil Rights Movement.
Award-winning filmmaker Dan Klores ("The Boys of Second Street Park," "Viva Baseball," "Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story"), enlisted actor Samuel L. Jackson, jazz great Wynton Marsalis and New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul to narrate the film. The commercial-free, two-part, four-hour film will be televised in prime time March 16 and 17 at 8 p.m.
Things were different in this country in that era. Lloyd never had a white classmate from kindergarten through four years of college and the NBA was no picnic, as evidenced by this entry from Mark Spears column:
If you have a question for our guest or the show you can call our toll free number (1.866.751.9649) anytime leading up to tip off on Sunday and leave us a voice mail to air live or you can send us an e-mail .
As always we will take your calls live during the show and monitor the chat wars in The Pit.
We hope you will join us.
While there is no "Jackie Robinson" of the NBA, partly because the NBA was just starting out and partly because three African American players entered the league in the same season, Mr. Lloyd was the first to play in a game; on Halloween, Oct. 31st., 1950.
We must thank friend of the show and regular guest, Mark Spears, for this opportunity.
Mark had a wonderful column on Earl, published in the Boston Globe on Jan. 21st. In that article Lloyd gives thanks to the Celtics for opening the door to himself and the others to follow.
"I truly believe this, that if the Celtics did not draft Chuck [Cooper] in the second round, you could not tell me that the Washington Capitols in 1950 were going to make me the first black player to play in this league. No way . . . The Boston Celtics had a tremendous influence on my acceptance in the NBA," said Lloyd in a recent phone interview.
Later this month, Lloyd will be among those featured in an ESPN film entitled: "Black Magic." Here is a blurb from Fred Mitchell's March 4th column in the Chicago Tribune.
On March 16, a powerful documentary titled "Black Magic" will be shown on ESPN, detailing the history of college basketball in America in conjunction with the Civil Rights Movement.
Award-winning filmmaker Dan Klores ("The Boys of Second Street Park," "Viva Baseball," "Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story"), enlisted actor Samuel L. Jackson, jazz great Wynton Marsalis and New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul to narrate the film. The commercial-free, two-part, four-hour film will be televised in prime time March 16 and 17 at 8 p.m.
Things were different in this country in that era. Lloyd never had a white classmate from kindergarten through four years of college and the NBA was no picnic, as evidenced by this entry from Mark Spears column:
Lloyd said fans in St. Louis, Baltimore, Fort Wayne, Ind., and Indianapolis were particularly hard on him. He was spit on, asked by fans to see his tail, and told to go back to Africa. Lloyd said he was rarely allowed to go into restaurants or hotels with his white teammates. While playing for Syracuse during the 1952-53 season, he wasn't allowed to play at a preseason game at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., because he was black. The Nationals still played and to this day it pains Lloyd that none of his teammates showed any remorse.
If you have a question for our guest or the show you can call our toll free number (1.866.751.9649) anytime leading up to tip off on Sunday and leave us a voice mail to air live or you can send us an e-mail .
As always we will take your calls live during the show and monitor the chat wars in The Pit.
We hope you will join us.