Premium Essay

Blacks in the Nba

In:

Submitted By jadeen11
Words 598
Pages 3
Every NBA championship photo dating back from 1947 all the way until the 1954 season bore nothing but Caucasian faces in the photos. That all changed during the 1953-1954 school year. On that particular team, there were to African-American players named, Earl Lloyd and Jim Tucker. Earl Lloyd was chosen in the ninth round by the Washington Capitols. Lloyd was the first black player ever to play in the NBA. Prior to playing for the Capitols, Lloyd stated that he had never interacted let alone sat next to a white person before. Lloyd’s nine-year playing career included stops with Washington, the Syracuse Nationals, where he became the first Black player to win an NBA Championship in 1955 (defeating the Fort Wayne Pistons), and Detroit. He also became the NBA’s first African-American assistant coach for the Pistons in 1968.
During that same year there happened to be two other black players as well. One was Chuck Cooper who was drafted by the Boston Celtics during the second round making him the first African-American to be drafted into the NBA and the second was Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton who became the first African-American to sign an NBA contract with the New York Knicks in May of 1950. In his rookie year, Clifton averaged 8.6 points, and 7.5 rebounds per game, while helping the Knicks advance to the franchise’s first NBA Finals. Cooper was drafted by the Navy during his first semester in college. Cooper averaged 10.5 points per game and was named All-American during his senior year at Duke.
The owner Walter Brown drafted Cooper against the will of other owners. Cooper made his Celtics debut on November 1, 1950 against the Fort Wayne Pistons. Ultimately, Cooper played four years with Boston, before one-year stints with the Milwaukee/ St. Louis Hawks and the Fort Wayne Pistons. He ended his short career with averages of 6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.

Since the

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Sports History

...make the game more enjoyable and create more of a competitive balance for all those who play. Players were given titles for the position they played like for example, the tallest player on the team was called the center. While the shortest player on the team or the person who dribbled the ball the best was called the point guard. The history of basketball has correlated with the history of the US during the 20th century. As the game and the country began to evolve, the game of basketball became the 2nd most played sport in the world behind soccer. Some of the major events in American history in the 20th century such as Brown vs. Board of Education impacted the growth and development of basketball in the beginning. Although, whites and blacks both played basketball, they did not play with or against each other until the 1950s on a pro level. Basketball was the only one of the four major sports to be played in the Olympics. Because the rules of basketball were easy to play and understand, the sport began to grow globally. Basketball players became international super stars and sports heroes. As the country began to have diversity, sport of basketball began to grow it took on a racial connotation and was deemed a “thug league” by the some members of the...

Words: 2828 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

Donald Sterling

...bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?” “You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that … and not to bring them to my games.”Don’t put him [Johnson] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don’t bring him to my games.”(nba.com) Since then Mr. Sterling has been banned from the league for life and he was fined $2.5 million dollars. He has no authority over the Clippers and can’t attend any NBA game. NBA commissioner Adam Silver also stated that he would move to force Sterling to sell the Clippers. He stated he would do this based on “willful violation of the rules”, and it would require the consent of three-quarters of the other NBA owners. (Wikipedia.org) On May 26th Sterling made a statement denying all of the charges against him and he refused to sell the Clippers. Donald Sterling’s wife, Shelly, reached a deal to sell the Clippers to Steve Ballmer for $2 Billion dollars on May 29th. Shelly Sterling agreed not to sue the NBA and to assure the league against other suits possibly brought on by her husband. The next day her husband sued the NBA for $1 billion dollars stating it had violated his constitutional rights and antitrust laws. On June 4th Mr. Sterling’s attorney announced the Mr. Sterling wasn’t going to sue the NBA after all and that he agreed to the sale of the Clippers for $2 billion...

Words: 2276 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Michael Jordan

...wealthiest basketball players there is. In 1984, he won the National title at the University of North Carolina and a Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles; he then was selected 3rd overall draft pick by the Chicago Bills in the NBA. That year he also signed a $2.5 million dollar endorsement deal with Nike and that where it all began. In 1985, Nike gave Jordan his own signature line of shoes and clothing, very different than any other brand. The first Air Jordan 1 shoe was produced and sold for $65 dollars and featured the Nike swoosh on the mid panel and a newly designed winged logo on the ankle. This shoe paved the way for colorful basketball shoes, and the way people looked at tennis shoes. During the 1985 NBA season Michael woe the shoes and was fines $5,000 every time he wore them. Nike was glad to pay since the more he wore them the more popular they became. In 1987 the Air Jordan II was created,the swoosh was removed from this shoe. They used upgraded materials on this shoe some such as faux lizard skin, made them high-top for better ankle support. The Air Jordan wing logo was on the tongue of the shoe. You did not see this shoe on the court much, but all the people wanted it. Although Michael Jordan did win his first NBA slam dunk contest wearing the Air Jordan II. By 1988 everybody wanted a pair Air Jordan tennis shoes. This year Nike removed the wing logo and replaced it with a “Jumpman” logo on the tongue. It also changed to a mid-shoe instead of...

Words: 1116 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Nba Player Dress Code; Racial Implications

...NBA Player Dress Code Right or Wrong? At the beginning of the 2004/05 season, the National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner David Stern enforced a dress code that requires players to wear particular attire prior to and after their games. This new rule has sparked plenty of controversy amongst the league, with experts, officials, and players all having their say on its intentions. Consequently, questions have been raised about the NBA’s management staff. Also, the link between the league and ‘hip-hop’ culture has brought about racial connotations. The code itself states that business casual is compulsory during all team or league business, including bus rides to the stadium, press conferences and also injured players who sit on the sidelines. The excluded items include sleeveless shirts, shorts, t-shirts, jerseys, sports apparel (unless appropriate for the event (e.g., a basketball clinic), team-identified, and approved by the team), headgear of any kind, chains, sunglasses (whilst indoors) and headphones (other than on the team bus). This means no more oversized baggy pants and coats with ‘bling’ covering their body. Although Stern claims otherwise, it is widely believed that the code was enforced in order to eliminate the hip-hop image the NBA has, making it a more fan-friendly league. The management was concerned on how the public viewed the NBA and their stars. Throughout press conferences before the code was enforced, the African-American players would be...

Words: 1579 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Cutco

...how the media can say and tell us a lot of misleading things that may not even have to do with racism, and how that we should stop paying attention to each and everything the media are telling us, and start believing in what we think in our own perspective. Further along the article one stated on why most whites play hockey and most blacks play basketball. Are white more skilled at playing hockey? And are blacks more skilled at playing basketball? “Because the kids play the sports that dominate the area in which they grow up in. “I grew up in Milwaukee (which is a very segregated city) and can figure out why the above questions are asked”. Analysis For the analysis, as a sociologist perspective this article can be various concepts of sociology. This article can be seen as culture Stereotypes. Mainly because some may say that black African Americans is not just labeled as a football player, basketball player, or a baseball or many more because they say that black African Americans are just pure athletes. One reason why they might think black African Americans are just athletes instead of being labeled in a particular sport is because a black person may have been playing basketball all his life and never really played anything else, but one day he may decide to pick up a basketball, and realize that he’s pretty good, he have a nice shot, or he can dribble really good, or if he played baseball, he could throw a 90 mile per hour fast ball, and...

Words: 778 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Nba 2k15

...NBA 2K15 is a basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It is the sixteenth installment of the NBA 2K franchise. It was released on October 6, 2014 in North America forMicrosoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It was released on October 9, 2014 in Australia and it was released on October 10, 2014 in the rest of the world. Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the three cover athletes of NBA 2K13, is the solo cover athlete of NBA 2K15.[1] NBA 2K15 is the successor to NBA 2K14 in the NBA 2K series. Contents   [hide]  * 1 Development * 2 New features * 2.1 Scanning system * 2.2 MyCareer mode and upgrade system * 2.3 Coaching advice * 3 Soundtrack * 4 Reception * 5 References ------------------------------------------------- Development[edit] The game included a pre-order bonus pack which includes 5,000 Virtual Currency (VC), 2 MyTEAM card packs, your choice of an International MyTEAM card or rookie Kevin Durant , and MyPLAYER jerseys inspired by Kevin Durant.[2] On August 6, 2014 it was announced that Crew will be back in the game for current-gen consoles, then on August 7, 2014 it was announced that the game would have a new mode called MYLeague, which is similar to NBA 2K14's GM mode but with added customization and improvements. New RPG elements have also been introduced to the game, such as the conversation system and press conferences. On September...

Words: 1314 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

African American Nba Player's Role In Sports Today

...African Americans to be nothing, and never try to go big in sports, because they were accustomed to not being good enough or giving up on their dreams due to the color of their skin. Three people that/who changed the definition of sports were Nat Clifton (first African American nba player) although Michael Jordan revolutionized it, Jackie Robinson and Ernie Davis. These men have played the biggest role in not only changing how the sports were played but who played in sports. These three men have not only changed the way sports is played today, but who plays the sports in our world today. They weren't always treated fair but they went through adversity with a high head to changed the world. For example the Godfather of basketball known as Michael “Air” Jordan revolutionized one sport single handedly. Although he didn’t make the varsity basketball team Jordan was treated good because he redefined the definition of a superstar by himself. Michael Jordan is known as the greatest of all time being despite being drafted 3rd overall behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie. Some awards he’s got are, “Rookie of the Year; Five-time NBA MVP; Six-time NBA champion; Six-time NBA Finals MVP; Ten-time All-NBA...

Words: 1102 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Discrimination

...King defined both the essence of racism and its cure. Judging someone by race or skin color is racism, and moving toward judging someone only by their demonstrated character is the cure for racism. Campbell, D. G. (2012). The cultivation of racism. Academic Questions, 25(3), 389-393. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12129-012-9310-y The controversy has been framed in terms of gender (women), sexual preference (gays), religion (Muslims), ethnicity (Hispanics), and class (blue-collar workers), among others. But it is perhaps more stark in the case of race. Racism against "Blacks" is frequently cited as a reason why society needs to change not only the way "Blacks" are perceived by members of other races, but also how "Blacks" perceive themselves. (I place the names of races within quotes to indicate that I am using standard terminology, but I should not be taken as endorsing it.) In order to fight racism, "Blacks" need to develop positive attitudes toward themselves and to fight for policies that benefit them. But...

Words: 827 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Sports Management

...Charles Allen Mrs. Rogers Integrated Marketing 4/11/12 Kobe Vs. LeBron in the Market World Two of the biggest names in the NBA are Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. With both men playing in very lively cities, Los Angeles, California and Miami, Florida both Kobe and LeBron are very marketable players. Seeing them both in the cities on billboards, commercials, or hosting events or charities is very likely. Since both are the league’s biggest names, which one is the most marketable? Taking into consideration that does the most work in the community, commercials, billboards, and media interviews, will measure who is the more marketable player. Kobe and LeBron have been compared time after time, because they are both future hall of famer’s. Both have very respectful spots on Sports Illustrated’s Fortune 50 list. Kobe, was placed at number six with a total of 10 million from endorsements last year. But Kobe being a more “seasoned” veteran than LeBron, has had many endorsement deals. The Bleacherreport.com reports in February of 2001 Kobe signed a deal with McDonald’s for 10 million dollars (http://bleacherreport.com). McDonald’s was promoting a new meal called the Big N’ Tasty and Kobe was the front of it all. Kobe has had video games with Nintendo but he was more loved for his role in the world famous game Call of Duty: Black Ops in 2010. With Black Mamba written on the side of his gun, Kobe has his own featured scene. A very key endorsement for Kobe Bryant was Adidas. This was...

Words: 1464 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Donald Sterling's Fall

...Donald Sterling’s fall from the NBA Controversy has surrounded Donald Sterling for much of 2014. Donald was the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers for thirty three seasons until April 2014. He was banned for life after a recording of a conversation between himself and a female friend was released to the public. In the recording Sterling was irritated over a photo his female friend posted on Instagram, where she was with Basketball Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson. Sterling said to her: "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people, and you can sleep with black people. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. But the little I ask you is not to bring them to my games.” Donald Sterling’s comments impacted the National Basketball Association greatly. The comments caused an uproar in players across the league, upset affiliates of the Clippers and himself, and caused the commissioner to get involved. One of the first effects of Sterling's racial remarks was that players in the NBA were extremely upset by the comments made. These comments at the very least were inappropriate, especially in a league where 75% of the athletes are African American (Matthew Continetti, Polishing the silver, tarnishing the Sterling). On April 26, the day after his comments were released, the L.A. Clippers held a team meeting to discuss the incident. Both coaches and players were angered by the comments. They considered boycotting game four of their...

Words: 739 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Micheal Jordan

...(Michael Jordan) Micheal Jordan, the black man, who travelled on the hardest routes to make it happen, to become a legend and to rule the sport’s world, achieved the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) most valuable award five times in his life. Three All-Star MVPs and five regular-season MVPs made Jordan the most decorated player in the NBA. (http://www.biography.com/people/michael-jordan-9358066#personal-life-and-legacy&awesm=~oDPqqgYBZ6mhZF )With a fan following that is infinite in number; he is considered as the best basket ball player ever witnessed by NBA. Jordan has experienced positive as well as negative criticism. Jordan has made his marks in almost all the fields, as a basket ball player, an athlete, a business man and even as an actor. With 30.1 average, his scores per game are the highest than any other played in NBA. His 32,292 career points are the third highest in the history of NBA. Career post season scoring average points have also added stars in the history of NBA. Jordan was named Defensive player in 1988 and is the first and the only player who has a record of triple-double in an All-Star game in 1997. His score kept on increasing as his Bulls kept on winning which him a star of all times. He increased the grace of countless numbers of magazines. He even introduced a line of basketball shoe, Nike Air Jordan. Jordan has also received the credits of revolutionizing the sports merchandising and the marketing world (ESPN NBA,...

Words: 282 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Charlie Hebdo Case

...He recently owned the L.A Clippers, an NBA Basketball team, until remarks were released by TMZ and were found to be racist in his conversation with a friend, V. Stiviano. The comments specifically referenced NBA player Magic Johnson in which he said, “He’s got AIDS…I think he should be ashamed of himself. I think he should go in the background”. Also, he essentially told his friend not to associate with black people at his basketball games. Due to these comments NBA commissioner Adam Silver took the ownership of the L.A Clippers away from him, forever banned him from the league and fined him the maximum fine allowed by the NBA constitution 2.5 million. This case applies to section 2b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms because Sterling freely expressed his opinion on Stiviano’s association with black people and Magic Johnson’s ability to be a role model. I personally believe Sterling’s freedom of expression should be limited because he was the owner of an NBA team; therefore, his comments represent not only his views but can be seen as reflecting upon the views of the entire franchise. Further, I believe that the fact that these racist comments were not broad and that they specifically were connected to basketball made racist comments...

Words: 1027 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Race and Sports in America

...Race and Sports in America By: Patrick Minnick December 12, 2014 “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”. This quote proved true for no one more than the man who said it, Jackie Robinson. Robinson is seen as a pivotal figure in the fight for racial equality in America. However, he didn’t make his impact through speeches, civil right protests, or violent rebellion. Robinson did it by playing the sport he loved, baseball. Sports have always had an ability to bring people together, but, in the last century especially, sports have given racial minorities something they can’t find elsewhere; a chance to compete on a level playing field with everyone else. Jackie Robinson showed that race is simply a myth, a superficial characteristic that holds no insight to the physical or mental abilities of a person. Sports by themselves show no racism and serve as a constant reminder of this racial myth. Sadly, people are more reluctant to abandon old beliefs; meaning racism still runs deep in the organizations that are built around these sports. This research paper will focus mainly on three subcategories: 1) The history of the relationship between sports and race in America; 2) How sports have benefited or damaged race relations; 3) Why certain sports are more popular among different races. The history of sports in America dates all the way back to the Native Americans who played an early form of lacrosse that was used for recreation and promoting teamwork...

Words: 1651 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Fefwerw

...accurate at the time of posting – content is subject to change. Card images are solely for the purpose of design display. Actual images used on cards to be determined. © 2012 Panini America, Inc. Printed in the USA. © 2012 NBA Properties, Inc. ROOKIE AUTOGRAPHS Find a huge 100-player roster where all autographs are signed on-card! ICONIC AUTOGRAPHS The game’s greatest players featured on this newly-designed autograph insert! RELEASE DATE: 12/12/2012 All information is accurate at the time of posting – content is subject to change. Card images are solely for the purpose of design display. Actual images used on cards to be determined. © 2012 Panini America, Inc. Printed in the USA. © 2012 NBA Properties, Inc. PATCHES Check out the large swatch size and the unique die-cut memorabilia window! STAR GAZING New stellar design showcasing the NBA’s brightest stars! EVERY PLAYER EVERY GAME Look for this brand new insert featuring full Every Player Every Game NBA jersey tags! RELEASE DATE: 12/12/2012 All information is accurate at the time of posting – content is subject to change. Card images are solely for the purpose of design display. Actual images used on cards to be determined. © 2012 Panini America, Inc. Printed in the USA. © 2012 NBA Properties, Inc. HOBBY CONFIGURATION 5 – CARDS PER PACK 4 – PACKS PER BOX 18 – BOXES PER CASE 3 - 6 – COUNT INNERS PER CASE PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS 100 on-card rookie autographs, a large comprehensive base set, autographs...

Words: 468 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Homosexuality in Pro Sports

...Abstract The track of homosexuality in sports has been long, twisting and for the most part, very restrained. There have been very few athletes blazing a trail for gay tolerance among the top four professional athletic associations; the top four being the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. In fact, the early athletes who openly admitted their sexual orientation were women, participants of individual sports or retired athletes. The more popular male sports as the top four, have seemingly been opposed in accepting a gay teammate in the locker room. With this being said, one can understand why the gay athlete’s path has been so difficult and private. The culture of sports has long been viewed as being extremely homophobic. Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender From the beginning of sports existence, athletes have been considered hyper-masculine and barbaric. Even women who participated in sports were often viewed as “manly”. However, the ever changing social climate and the sharp awareness of gay rights and same-sex couples, almost assures us that there will be a cultural shift in the sports world as we know it. The younger generation proves to be more accepting and laidback of homosexuality; thus, it will only be a matter of time until professional sports teams find a gay athlete on their roster. I ask you this, if gay tolerance is to be expected in the...

Words: 1827 - Pages: 8