Sports highlights in Black History: Clifton, Cooper, Lloyd were NBA pioneers

Sports highlights in Black History: Clifton, Cooper, Lloyd were NBA pioneers

When one looks at the racial makeup of the National Basketball Association today, it's hard to imagine a time when there were no Black players in the league.

However, that was indeed the case when the league was founded in 1947. However, in 1950 that all changed when three players, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, Charles "Tarzan" Cooper and Earl Lloyd entered the league.

Clifton, a native Chicagoan joined the New York Knicks after two years in the Army and two years in the Army and two years with the Harlem Globetrotters. A 6-7 forward, he earned the nickname "Sweetwater" because of his love for …