The Black Fives Foundation is expanding and reinforcing its mission and goals with solid momentum from strategic partnerships and its first grant.
Press Release
This fine clip from ESPN.com honors Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, one of the first three African Americans to play in the NBA. Clifton played for the New York Rens and the Harlem Globetrotters before signing with the Knicks in 1950.
In 1950, Cooper, a Pittsburgh resident and Duquesne University graduate became the first African-American selected in the NBA Draft.
This article by Sonja Steptoe is from the Sports Illustrated archives (the “SI Vault”), and originally appeared in print in the magazine’s December 24, 1990 issue. We felt it would be appropriate to re-publish the article here now, in honor of John “Boy Wonder” Isaacs, the former basketball star with the New York Rens (of Harlem) who passed away Monday morning at the age of 93. It’s easy to see why Mr. Isaacs was such a hero and friend to so many.
During each December, celebrate the history of African American women who were pioneers in basketball!
Though news coverage of the NBA’s upcoming racial integration was limited, there was enough to get a glimpse of what the milestone meant at the time.
When SLAM asked me to write something about 93-year-old former professional basketball player John Isaacs, I wanted to go beyond what’s been told (and retold) before. I wanted to tell what matters most.
The Basketball Hall of Fame will form a special review committee to look at overlooked African American candidates, but there’s a catch.
Here are some September birthdays of Black Fives Era stars.
I was reminded that the elder Lloyd was the first black player to wear Converse All Stars in an NBA game.