Sweetwater’s Legacy
I bet about 99% of folks over the age of 10 know about the legacy of #42 Jackie Robinson, and they should, right? What an important event in America’s growth. But, not all-important legacies are kept alive or are not well known. How many of us remember Nathaniel ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton?... I’ll wait. Now, if you are a big-time NBA fan you are probably on top of such things, but... Yes, Nat was the first black man to sign an NBA contract. He came into the league in 1950 with two other African-American players, Earl Lloyd, and Chuck Cooper. As we all know it took WWII and Truman’s integration of the military to lay the groundwork for any meaningful integration to happen in our general society, including sports. 1950 was three years after Jackie Robinson stepped onto a Major League baseball field. They recently made a movie about this NBA integration and I hope to see it soon. The movie Sweetwater, will be in theaters in December 2023, streamed in July.
Nat Clifton: Don’t let me spoil it for you, but let me tell you some interesting things about Nat Clifton. He was born in 1922, and his birth name was actually Clifton Nathaniel. His HS, DuSable, used his first name ‘Clifton’ as his last name out of convenience, the papers pick up on it, so he kept it. His nickname ‘Sweetwater’ came from his love of soda pop. ‘Sweetwater’, played one year of college ball then served three years in the Army during WWII in Europe. Later he played with the Dayton Metros, the all-black NY Rens, then the Harlem Globetrotters. In 1950, the Globetrotters sold Clifton’s contract for $12,500 to the Knickerbockers with Clifton netting $2,500 of it. Clifton later said he felt his journey along with, Lloyd and Cooper’s journey may have been easier for them because fans were already used to blacks playing college ball. He averaged 10.3 points a game for the Knicks over his seven years with them. He was an All-Star in ‘57. Clifton was traded to the Fort Wayne Pistons. He retired in ‘58, but played two more years for the Globetrotters. After a knee injury, he started to drive a cab in Chicago. Clifton was a hero in his neighborhood, but kept a low profile with his family nearby. He struggled financially because the was not eligible for an NBA pension. Pensions were not offered before 1965. Michael Jordan once said. “Justice ought to be served. Players like Nat Clifton should get some kind of reward for making the NBA what it is today. Without the guys like him, guys like me would not be getting what they are getting.” Clifton died in 1990 at the age of 67 after having a heart attack while working as a cab driver. Twenty-four years after Clifton died, the Basketball HOF inducted him posthumously (2014). Several awards have been named in his honor.
Earl Lloyd: Lloyd was drafted 100th overall by the Washington Capitols and he was the first of the Big Three to actually play in an NBA game. He beat Cooper by one day and ‘Sweetwater’ by four days. Of course, all three had to deal with racism. He played seven games for the Washington Capitals before being drafted to fight in the Korean War. After the Capitals folded he was redrafted to the Syracuse Nationals. He played nine years in the NBA. He later said he did face some racism, but not from his teammates. Lloyd coached for several years and then worked for the Detroit Public SD in the HR department. His high school basketball court was named after him. He was inducted into the HOF in 2003. He died at the age of 85 in 2015 outside of Crossville, TN.
Chuck Cooper: On April 25, 1950, Cooper was the first black player to be drafted by the NBA, 14th overall. He went to the Celtics in the 2nd round of the draft. Clifton was also an outstanding baseball player, playing during the off seasons for the Chicago Giants in the Negro Leagues. After his significant NBA career he went back to Pittsburg to work towards Civil Rights. Cooper also became the head of the Parks and Rec Department and was the first African-American department head in the city. When Cooper was drafted by the Celtics the other teams said, “Hey you can’t do that he is black”. In response, Celtics owner Walter Brown famously said, “I don’t care if Cooper is striped, plaid or polka dot, I am picking him.” He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial HOF posthumously (2019). He often said his teammates, especially his friendship with Bob Cousy, another 1950 rookie, made the tough situation a lot more tolerable. Cooper passed away from liver cancer at the age of 57 in 1984.
So remember, along with Jackie Robinson, include these three men in your pioneer discussions.
Until next time.
