Breaking Barriers: The Pioneering Journey of Charles Cooper in the NBA

They are familiar to anyone who is even marginally interested in basketball: Michael Jordan, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and 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 laid in 1950.

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

In retrospect, 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 drafted much later in the draft, but had his NBA debut a day earlier than Cooper, which was simply due to the scheduling of the games.

After leaving the NBA at the end of the 1950s, Cooper withdrew completely from basketball. He later complained about racist behavior from fans. “It was also a painful experience, and no one likes pain,” his widow Irva is quoted as saying in the book “They Cleared the Lane” by author Ron Thomas.

Michael Jordan

Photo credit: Image

2023-10-31 23:30:00
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