No day like any other: The first black players in the NBA

They are known to everyone who is even marginally interested in basketball: Michael Jordan, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal or Kobe Bryant are among the best NBA professionals of all time. The foundation for these stars to assert themselves in the best professional league in the world was established 1950 placed.

In the April drafts of that year, Charles Cooper from Pittsburgh was the first African-American basketball player to be selected by a club. The Boston Celtics brought him to their team. At the 1. November the time had finally come. The then 24-year-old made his first appearance against the Fort Wayne Pistons.

In retrospect, however, Cooper narrowly missed the historic moment of becoming the first African-American to play in an NBA game. Earl Lloyd of the Washington Capitals was drawn much later in the draft, but had his NBA premiere a day earlier than Cooper, which was only due to the scheduling of the games.

After retiring from the NBA in the late 1950s, Cooper completely withdrew from basketball. He later complained about racist behavior by fans. “It was also a painful experience, and nobody likes pain,” his widow Irva is quoted in the book “They cleared the Lane” by author Ron Thomas.