WASHINGTON – Earl Lloyd, who grew up in Alexandria and became the first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association when he took the court for the Washington Capitols in 1950, has died. He was 86.
ABC7 in Detroit reports that Lloyd died Thursday afternoon at about 1 p.m.
Lloyd also won a championship while playing with the Syracuse Nationals in 1955, and was the first African-American bench coach in the NBA when he coached the Detroit Pistons from 1971 to 1972. He was elected to the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
His emphasis, NBA.com says, was on setting picks, getting rebounds and playing defense.
NBA.com says that he played until 1960, and said he encountered virtually no racism from fellow players. The fans, he said were another matter.
“My philosophy was if they weren’t calling you names, you weren’t doing anything,” Lloyd said. “You made sure they were calling you names, if you could. If they were calling you names, you were hurting them.”
