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 Pro 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 8" x 10" photograph depicts Lloyd posed with the Detroit Pistons where he played during the 1958-59 and 1959-60 seasons. Sharp and attractive central image of the 6' 6" Lloyd kneeling with a basketball has been snapped with flash photography, illuminating him against a darker background. He is framed by thin white borders with just a touch of typical handling wear found throughout the photo. Small paper label remains affixed to verso in the lower-left corner, providing vital statistics on Lloyd. 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.