Earl Lloyd, First Black Player in the NBA, Dies at 86

Earl Lloyd, the first African American to play at the NBA died on Thursday according to reports from Detroit television station WXYZ. He was 86 and was surrounded by close family members and friends when he breathed his last at around 1:00pm.

Lloyd made his debut for Washington Capitols on October 31, 1950 at the Edgerton Park Sports Arena in Rochester. He later played for Syracuse Nationals (now known as the Philadelphia 76ers) and ended his playing career with Detroit Pistons in 1960. He also became the first African American to coach an NBA team when he took over the reins of Piston's in 1971-72.

While recalling the moment of his first NBA game, Lloyd once said "I stepped onto the court and the world kept spinning. No one said a word -- not the fans, players, anybody. Nothing was ever said about me being the first black. They acted as if I was a player, period. I don't recall any mention in the newspapers about me being the first black to play in an NBA game."

Being the first African American to be allowed entry into the NBA, Lloyd had to often go through a difficult and cruel period of transition. He was later joined by two other black players, Nat Clifton and Charles Cooper during the 1950-51 season.

Lloyd while speaking to NBA.com before his death said, "(Fans) would say stuff like, 'Go back to Africa. And I'm telling you, you would often hear the N-word. That was commonplace. There were a lot of people who sat close to you who gave you the blues, man."

Lloyd was also introduced into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003 for his contributions to the sport. Over the course of his career, he played 520 games with 4,682 points, 3609 rebounds and 812 assists.