Earl Lloyd

Common card · No. 239023

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. Lloyd was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

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