We are mourning the loss of basketball pioneer and Hall of Fame member Earl Lloyd, the first African American to play in the NBA, who died today at age 86.
Mourning the Loss of NBA Pioneer Earl Lloyd (1928-2015)
For the NBA All Star Weekend, WPIX 11 produced ‘One-on-One: A Historic Look at the Journey of African American Basketball in NYC,’ which includes a look at Black Fives Era achievers who paved the way for today’s superstars.
Please meet the Younger Set Girls, an African American women’s basketball team that was formed in New York City in 1912.
The Black Fives Foundation teams up with the Brooklyn Nets to conduct a series of school educational presentations on local African American basketball history.
Grinding it out, one possession at a time, and in only our second year, we’ve achieved some amazing successes considering our size and the newness of our genre!
On November 13, 1907, the first game between two fully independent, formally organized African American basketball teams was played in Brooklyn, New York.
A great Black Fives Era history piece by Dante A. Ciampaglia in the 2014 NBA Preview Issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids.
Today is the birth date of former pro basketball great John “Boy Wonder” Isaacs, born in 1915, who would have been 99 years old.
The Black Fives Foundation and Black Fives Era history will be featured on H2’s newest episode of “10 Things You Don’t Know About” with Henry Rollins, premiering tonight, Saturday, August 30, at 10ET/11PT!
Did you know that there were many non-playing pioneers of the Black Fives Era who made important contributions to the growth and evolution of basketball among African Americans?
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Black Fives
We inspire excellence in youth and communities by preserving, teaching, and honoring the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball.
For years, we have been building something truly remarkable.![]()
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Something deeper than what’s visible on the surface.![]()
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This piece, created by the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective from remnants of our Black Fives throwback jerseys, carries that idea.![]()
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On the front, you see something beautiful.![]()
On the back, you see the work.![]()
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Tens of thousands of stitches.![]()
Each one holding the whole together.![]()
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Like the earlier African American basketball pioneers whose names were forgotten, but whose work helped shape the game.![]()
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Like the countless people, often unseen, who did and are doing the work that holds our country together.![]()
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The surface only exists because of what’s behind it.![]()
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And it’s only as strong as the weakest stitch.![]()
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Do we really want to remove certain stitches?![]()
Are we OK with pieces falling apart?![]()
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Do we value the work we don’t see?![]()
Do we recognize it?![]()
Do we protect it?![]()
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That’s the real story.![]()
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A cultural archive. A sports heritage platform.![]()
Build with us.![]()
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Make History Now.![]()
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#culturalheritage ![]()
#intellectualproperty ![]()
#archives ![]()
#sportsbusiness ![]()
#blackhistory
For years, we have been building something truly remarkable.![]()
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A deep archive of early African American basketball.![]()
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The stories, the images, the history that shaped the game.![]()
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But this is more than an archive.![]()
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It’s a cultural IP and sports heritage platform.![]()
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Infrastructure of history, identity, and assets ready to build with.![]()
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For partners, institutions, and brands who want real cultural authenticity, not just performative optics.![]()
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Build with us.![]()
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blackfives.org/build![]()
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#blackhistory #culturalheritage #brandpartnerships #archives #intellectualproperty