Jackie Robinson famously shattered baseball's color barrier when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on Opening Day, 1947. Three years later, in 1950, three pioneers would help integrate the National Basketball Association when Chuck Cooper became the first African-American player drafted into the NBA, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton became the first African American to sign an NBA contract, and Earl Lloyd became the first African-American to appear in an NBA game. Later, all three men would rightfully be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Earl Lloyd, small forward for the Syracuse Nationals, became the first African-American to play in an NBA game on October 31, 1950 when he entered a contest against the Rochester Royals (now the Sacramento Kings). The presented 7" x 9" photograph depicts Lloyd in action with the Syracuse Nationals, four years later, in 1954. Sharp central image of Lloyd has been snapped with flash photography, illuminating the players against a dark background. The action is framed by bright white borders with entirety of photo showing just a hint of typical handling wear. Full paper caption remains affixed to reverse describing the scene, which took place at New York's Madison Square Garden. A fresh-to-the-hobby example, hailing directly from the collection of former official NBA historian (1995-02), Mr. Bill Himmelman. Authenticated and encapsulated as a Type 1 photo by PSA/DNA.