Earl Lloyd made history as the first African-American NBA player on Oct. 31, 1950. Lloyd played for the Washington Capitols, scoring six points against the Rochester Royals. Lloyd went on to a nine-year NBA career.
A year after he was drafted into the NBA, the US Army drafted Lloyd. He fought in the Korean war before returning to the NBA in 1952.
In 1955 Lloyd won an NBA championship with the Syracuse Nationals.