02/27/2026
Earl Francis Lloyd (April 3, 1928 – February 26, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was the first African American player to play a game in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
An All-American player at West Virginia State University, Lloyd helped lead West Virginia State to an undefeated season in 1948. As a professional, Lloyd helped lead the Syracuse Nationals to the 1955 NBA Championship. In 1971, Lloyd was hired by the Detroit Pistons as head coach, becoming the first non-playing black head coach of the NBA and fourth overall black head coach in NBA history.[7] Lloyd was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Lloyd led West Virginia State to two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference and Tournament Championships in 1948 and 1949. He was named All–Conference three times (1948–50) and was All-American twice, as named by the Pittsburgh Courier (1949–50). As a senior, he averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game, while leading West Virginia State to a second–place finish in the CIAA Conference and Tournament Championship. In 1947–48, West Virginia State was the only undefeated team in the United States, with a 30–0 record.[10] Lloyd graduated from WVSU with his B.S. degree in physical education in 1950.
Prior to being drafted in the ninth round of the 1950 NBA draft, Lloyd starred in the lineup of the Harlem Globetrotters. Lloyd led the team to two wins over the reigning Minneapolis Lakers; this proved his talents beyond his race. Except for racial segregation, he was one of the finest artists of his time. Lloyd's talents were recognized amongst other black teammates, the two being Chuck Cooper and Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton. All three would go on to be drafted by the NBA, Clifton in 1950, Cooper in 1950, and Lloyd in 1950, the 100th overall pick.