First African-American to play in an NBA game dies

[February 28, 2015]  (Reuters) - The National Basketball Association on Friday hailed Earl Lloyd, the first African-American to play in an NBA game, as "a modest gentleman who played the game with skill, class, and pride."

Lloyd, a ninth-round pick by the Washington Capitols in 1950 as one three black players drafted by the NBA that year, died on Thursday in Tennessee at the age of 86.

A 6-foot-6 small forward, Lloyd broke the NBA color barrier on Oct. 31, 1950, when he entered a game against the Rochester Royals. He went on to play in the NBA for nine seasons.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Lloyd was "as inspirational as he was understated."

"He was known as a modest gentleman who played the game with skill, class, and pride," Silver said in a statement. "His legacy survives in the league he helped integrate and the entire NBA family will strive to always honor his memory."

Lloyd played seven games for Washington before getting drafted into the Korean War. Two years later, Lloyd joined the Syracuse Nationals, who later became the Philadelphia 76ers.

He spent six seasons with the franchise and won an NBA title in 1955. Lloyd played two more seasons with the Detroit Pistons before retiring in 1960.

Lloyd averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game for his career and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003 as a contributor to the game.

(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Bill Trott)

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