The first episode of our new Make History Now podcast is dedicated to basketball pioneer Earl Lloyd, the first African American to play in the NBA.
Remembering NBA Pioneer Earl Lloyd (1928-2015)
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.
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Unseen Stitches: The Black Fives x Gee’s Bend Masterpiece QuiltNovember 1, 2026The Black Fives x Gee’s Bend Masterpiece Quilt, created by the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective from Black Fives throwback basketball jersey remnants, brings together two extraordinary African American cultural traditions. Its more than 68,000 stitches reveal a powerful metaphor for the often unseen contributions that hold families, communities, and American history together. […]
From Our Online Museum
One of the over 150 historical items from the Black Fives Era of basketball that was in the Black Fives exhibition at the New York Historical Society Museum from March–July 2014. (Black Fives Archives)
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