18 Facts About Earl Lloyd

Earl Francis Lloyd was an American professional basketball player and coach.

Earl Lloyd was the first African American player to play a game in the National Basketball Association.

In 1971, Earl Lloyd was hired by the Detroit Pistons as head coach, becoming the first non-playing black head coach of the NBA and fourth overall black head coach in NBA history.

Earl Lloyd was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Earl Lloyd was born in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 3,1928, to Theodore Lloyd Sr.

Earl Lloyd's father worked in the coal industry and his mother was a stay-at-home mom.

Earl Lloyd did attend a segregated school but gives gratitude to his family and educators for helping him through the tough times and his success after school.

Earl Lloyd received a scholarship to play basketball at West Virginia State University, home of the Yellow Jackets.

Earl Lloyd led West Virginia State to two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Conference and Tournament Championships in 1948 and 1949.

Earl Lloyd led the team to two wins over the reigning Minneapolis Lakers; this proved his talents beyond his race.

Earl Lloyd was then drafted into the US Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Earl Lloyd served time fighting in the Korean War before coming back to basketball in 1952.

Earl Lloyd spent six seasons with Syracuse and two with the Detroit Pistons before retiring in 1961.

Earl Lloyd even went as far as to detail a time in which he was told to "go back" to Africa, and a plethora of times racial slurs were used towards him.

However, Earl Lloyd persevered and said that these instances only pushed him and made him play harder.

Earl Lloyd worked for the Pistons as a scout for five seasons.

Earl Lloyd served as Community Relations Director for the Bing Group, a Detroit manufacturing company in the 1990s.

Earl Lloyd resided in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, just outside Crossville, Tennessee, until his death on February 26,2015.