Whether it be by choice or just by circumstance, these players forever changed the cultural landscape of the NBA, opening up the sport to a wider swath of participants and ideologies.
1) Jason Collins (first openly gay player, 2014)
As Collins said himself in his eloquent Sports Illustrated essay in which he announced his homosexuality, he never sought out to become the first high-profile gay team sport athlete in America. It just sort of happened. After his coming out in the summer of 2013, Collins failed to sign with a team until February of the next year when the Nets gave him a 10-day contract thanks to the lobbying of their coach and Collins’ good friend, Jason Kidd. He wore jersey #98, in honor of the year that Matthew Shepard had been murdered, and the subsequent jersey sale proceeds were donated by the NBA to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. After finishing the season with Brooklyn, Collins announced that it was the end of his 13-year career. Though we’ve yet to have another openly gay NBA player since his retirement in 2014, there's no doubt Collins has inspired other pro athletes to eventually start living openly, and young gay athletes to continue chasing their dreams of playing pro sports.
2) Harold Hunter (first black player signed, 1950)
3) Chuck Cooper (first black player drafted, 1950)
4) Earl Lloyd (first black player to play, 1950)
5) Nat Clifton (first black star)
The most amazing thing about Jackie Robinson was that not only was he the first black baseball player, but he was one of the best players of his era and ultimately one of the greatest of all time, based on pure merit. It would be the equivalent of a Bill Russell or Oscar Robertson being the first black basketball player. But even though Russell and Robertson and all of their black peers faced notable racism and intolerance, the groundwork had already been laid a decade earlier. The main difference between Robinson's era of baseball in 1945 and the era of basketball that first integrated five years later is that baseball had already been a popular established sport for over 50 years before Robinson came along. Pro basketball was still young and finding its footing, and owners were wary of upsetting their mostly white fan base. Harold Hunter became the first black player to sign with an NBA team in 1950, but he never managed to play after getting cut in training camp by the Washington Capitols. However, Chuck Cooper and Earl Lloyd had become the first black players selected in the NBA Draft the day before Hunter’s signing, and both hit the court for the ’50-’51 season to break the color barrier. Lloyd was first, suiting up on opening night for the Capitols, scoring six points in a loss to the Royals. One day later, Cooper took the court for Boston, scoring seven points in a loss to the Pistons. Nat Clifton would become the third black player to appear in the NBA a few days later. Unlike Lloyd, Cooper, and Hunter, Clifton was a veteran at that point, having spent years playing semi-pro and barnstorming ball, including a stint with the Harlem Globetrotters. He signed with the Knicks for the ’50-’51 season and the 28-year-old rookie was an instant star, helping New York to their first Finals appearance that spring. Nicknamed “Sweetwater” for his childhood love of sugar water (his impoverished family couldn’t afford soda), Clifton transcended the sport with his flamboyant style of play and colorful personality. But he also was often forced to stay in separate hotels and eat at separate restaurants from his white teammates, due to continuing segregation in cities like St. Louis. While Clifton was turning heads and winning over fans, Lloyd developed into a solid role player and became the first black player to win an NBA title, as a member of the Syracuse Nationals in 1955. Hunter never reached the NBA as a player, but in 1968 in Mexico City, he became the first African-American to coach a U.S. Olympic basketball team. As for Clifton, he lasted in the NBA until 1958, and returned to semi-pro ball for several years, but struggled financially after his retirement and wound up driving taxis back in his native Chicago until his death in 1990. He was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.
6) Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (refused to stand for national anthem, 1996)
Still going by his birth name Chris Jackson when the Nuggets drafted him third overall in 1990, Abdul-Rauf soon changed his name to reflect his Muslim faith. In his sixth season, '95-'96, he was enjoying career highs in scoring and assists when members of the media started to notice that he never stood for the national anthem before games, opting instead to stretch on the court or just remain in the locker room. When asked for his reasoning on the decision, Abdul-Rauf responded that the flag and anthem symbolized oppression and racism and he chose not to subscribe to its ideology. Two decades before the Colin Kaepernick controversy, Abdul-Rauf set off a firestorm amongst fans, the media, and the league office. He eventually came to a compromise with commissioner David Stern that he would stand for the national anthem, but with his head bowed and his eyes closed in prayer. This did little to satiate angry fans that began to boo the star point guard whenever he touched the ball during games, while some went so far as to send death threats to him and his family. He would play just three more seasons in the NBA as a lightly used backup for the Kings and Grizzlies, his career effectively ruined by his political stance. But when recently asked to comment on Kaepernick's protest and responded that he was proud of the young quarterback, and still has no regrets about his own anthem protest decision.
7) Wang Zhizhi (first Chinese player, 2001)
Development of the international reach of basketball in general, and the NBA in particular, is arguably David Stern's most conclusive legacy as commissioner. The drafting of China's Wang Zhizhi by Dallas in 1999 was an oft-overlooked watershed moment in that expansion. Though Yao Ming would become the country's first basketball superstar when he joined the NBA three years later, Zhizhi was the first Chinese player to actually reach the league. Already a star as a teenager playing for the Bayi Rockets of the China Basketball Association, Zhizhi was the first Asian player invited to the Nike Hoop Summit, and was offered a scholarship from several colleges, including Georgetown. He chose instead to play several more years for the army-owned Bayi, leading them to six straight league titles while also starring for the national team in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. Zhizhi was 22 years old when the Mavericks surprisingly selected him in the second round of the 1999 Draft, #36 overall. He was finally let go by his Chinese squad and joined Dallas late in the '00-'01 season. In his NBA debut, Zhizhi put in just six points, but won over a lot of fans in attendance by scoring the 100th point of the game for the Mavericks, winning a free chalupa for all of the game’s ticket holders as part of a Taco Bell promotion. He played just five seasons for the Mavs, Clippers, and Heat, with limited playing time and few memorable moments. But Zhizhi managed to make headlines and court plenty of controversy back home during that period, by refusing to show up for a mandatory Chinese national team training camp, and by threatening to defect and become an American citizen. China banned Zhizhi from the national team for several years, and he eventually relented, returning to play for both the national team and Bayi Rockets in 2006. China has produced few NBA players since, but with a population of 1.3 billion and a growing love of the sport, the nation is still an epicenter of the future of basketball.
8) Butch Lee (first Latino player, 1978)
Even though they were still fielding a team of amateurs and had been shocked by the U.S.S.R. four years priors, the United States were an unquestioned behemoth of Olympic basketball in 1976. Aside from the Soviet Union, no other country could even hope to challenge the Americans. Butch Lee, born in Puerto Rico and raised in Harlem, was a rising star for Marquette, but was denied a try-out for the U.S. Olympic team that year, so he accepted a spot on the Puerto Rican roster instead. He scored 35 points in a game against the U.S., almost leading Puerto Rico to the biggest upset in Olympic basketball history, losing 95-94. After leading Marquette to the national championship and winning Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament, Lee was drafted 10th overall by the Hawks in 1978. He thus became the first Latino in the NBA, setting the stage for future stars like Manu Ginobili and Al Horford, and fellow Puerto Rican J.J. Barea. A solid point guard that could handle the rock and score at will, Lee seemed destined for stardom but his career was derailed early on by a knee injury. He did win a championship in 1980 as a member of the Lakers, having been traded to the team from Cleveland as part of the infamous James Worthy deal. Waived by the Lakers that summer, Lee returned to his native country and embarked on a successful playing and coaching career in the Puerto Rican National Superior Basketball League.
9) Wataru Misaka (first Asian-American player, 1947)
With World War II in full swing and college sports teams depleted of available student athletes, the NCAA temporarily lifted its ban on freshmen playing varsity basketball for the '43-'44 season. Many schools suspended basketball activity altogether, while others scrambled to fill their rosters with freshmen and military deferments. One of those scramblers was Utah, who featured a 5'7" jitterbug freshman guard named Wat Misaka. The son of Japanese immigrants, Misaka grew up in Ogden, Utah where his father owned a barbershop and the family regularly faced discrimination. Misaka was nonetheless a star player on his high school basketball team, and after two years at a community college he enrolled at Utah just as many of his fellow immigrants were being placed in internment camps by the U.S. government. After playing a slate of games in ’43-‘44 against mostly makeshift military rosters and corporate-sponsored all-stars, the Utes lost to Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky in the first round of the NIT. They were granted a surprise reprieve, an NCAA Tournament berth, after Arkansas was forced to withdraw due to several players being injured in a bus accident. Utah responded by shocking Missouri, Iowa State, and Dartmouth in succession to win the national championship. Led by the returning Misaka and future NBA star Arnie Ferrin, Utah returned to the NIT in 1947 and this time upended Kentucky to win it. Misaka, who had served a two-year stint in the Army in between his seasons with Utah, was terrific in that title game in Madison Square Garden, catching the eye of Knicks general manager Ned Irish by shutting down Kentucky star Ralph Beard. Irish selected Misaka in the ensuing draft, making him the first Asian or Asian-American player in NBA history. In fact, Misaka was technically the first person of color to ever reach the NBA. He was cut after just three games and seven total points scored, and after mulling an offer from the Harlem Globetrotters, Misaka chose to retire from basketball, returning to Utah instead to finish his degree in engineering. His college uniform and sneakers now hang in the Japanese-American National Museum in Los Angeles.
2) Harold Hunter (first black player signed, 1950)
3) Chuck Cooper (first black player drafted, 1950)
4) Earl Lloyd (first black player to play, 1950)
5) Nat Clifton (first black star)
The most amazing thing about Jackie Robinson was that not only was he the first black baseball player, but he was one of the best players of his era and ultimately one of the greatest of all time, based on pure merit. It would be the equivalent of a Bill Russell or Oscar Robertson being the first black basketball player. But even though Russell and Robertson and all of their black peers faced notable racism and intolerance, the groundwork had already been laid a decade earlier. The main difference between Robinson's era of baseball in 1945 and the era of basketball that first integrated five years later is that baseball had already been a popular established sport for over 50 years before Robinson came along. Pro basketball was still young and finding its footing, and owners were wary of upsetting their mostly white fan base. Harold Hunter became the first black player to sign with an NBA team in 1950, but he never managed to play after getting cut in training camp by the Washington Capitols. However, Chuck Cooper and Earl Lloyd had become the first black players selected in the NBA Draft the day before Hunter’s signing, and both hit the court for the ’50-’51 season to break the color barrier. Lloyd was first, suiting up on opening night for the Capitols, scoring six points in a loss to the Royals. One day later, Cooper took the court for Boston, scoring seven points in a loss to the Pistons. Nat Clifton would become the third black player to appear in the NBA a few days later. Unlike Lloyd, Cooper, and Hunter, Clifton was a veteran at that point, having spent years playing semi-pro and barnstorming ball, including a stint with the Harlem Globetrotters. He signed with the Knicks for the ’50-’51 season and the 28-year-old rookie was an instant star, helping New York to their first Finals appearance that spring. Nicknamed “Sweetwater” for his childhood love of sugar water (his impoverished family couldn’t afford soda), Clifton transcended the sport with his flamboyant style of play and colorful personality. But he also was often forced to stay in separate hotels and eat at separate restaurants from his white teammates, due to continuing segregation in cities like St. Louis. While Clifton was turning heads and winning over fans, Lloyd developed into a solid role player and became the first black player to win an NBA title, as a member of the Syracuse Nationals in 1955. Hunter never reached the NBA as a player, but in 1968 in Mexico City, he became the first African-American to coach a U.S. Olympic basketball team. As for Clifton, he lasted in the NBA until 1958, and returned to semi-pro ball for several years, but struggled financially after his retirement and wound up driving taxis back in his native Chicago until his death in 1990. He was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.
6) Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (refused to stand for national anthem, 1996)
Still going by his birth name Chris Jackson when the Nuggets drafted him third overall in 1990, Abdul-Rauf soon changed his name to reflect his Muslim faith. In his sixth season, '95-'96, he was enjoying career highs in scoring and assists when members of the media started to notice that he never stood for the national anthem before games, opting instead to stretch on the court or just remain in the locker room. When asked for his reasoning on the decision, Abdul-Rauf responded that the flag and anthem symbolized oppression and racism and he chose not to subscribe to its ideology. Two decades before the Colin Kaepernick controversy, Abdul-Rauf set off a firestorm amongst fans, the media, and the league office. He eventually came to a compromise with commissioner David Stern that he would stand for the national anthem, but with his head bowed and his eyes closed in prayer. This did little to satiate angry fans that began to boo the star point guard whenever he touched the ball during games, while some went so far as to send death threats to him and his family. He would play just three more seasons in the NBA as a lightly used backup for the Kings and Grizzlies, his career effectively ruined by his political stance. But when recently asked to comment on Kaepernick's protest and responded that he was proud of the young quarterback, and still has no regrets about his own anthem protest decision.
7) Wang Zhizhi (first Chinese player, 2001)
Development of the international reach of basketball in general, and the NBA in particular, is arguably David Stern's most conclusive legacy as commissioner. The drafting of China's Wang Zhizhi by Dallas in 1999 was an oft-overlooked watershed moment in that expansion. Though Yao Ming would become the country's first basketball superstar when he joined the NBA three years later, Zhizhi was the first Chinese player to actually reach the league. Already a star as a teenager playing for the Bayi Rockets of the China Basketball Association, Zhizhi was the first Asian player invited to the Nike Hoop Summit, and was offered a scholarship from several colleges, including Georgetown. He chose instead to play several more years for the army-owned Bayi, leading them to six straight league titles while also starring for the national team in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. Zhizhi was 22 years old when the Mavericks surprisingly selected him in the second round of the 1999 Draft, #36 overall. He was finally let go by his Chinese squad and joined Dallas late in the '00-'01 season. In his NBA debut, Zhizhi put in just six points, but won over a lot of fans in attendance by scoring the 100th point of the game for the Mavericks, winning a free chalupa for all of the game’s ticket holders as part of a Taco Bell promotion. He played just five seasons for the Mavs, Clippers, and Heat, with limited playing time and few memorable moments. But Zhizhi managed to make headlines and court plenty of controversy back home during that period, by refusing to show up for a mandatory Chinese national team training camp, and by threatening to defect and become an American citizen. China banned Zhizhi from the national team for several years, and he eventually relented, returning to play for both the national team and Bayi Rockets in 2006. China has produced few NBA players since, but with a population of 1.3 billion and a growing love of the sport, the nation is still an epicenter of the future of basketball.
8) Butch Lee (first Latino player, 1978)
Even though they were still fielding a team of amateurs and had been shocked by the U.S.S.R. four years priors, the United States were an unquestioned behemoth of Olympic basketball in 1976. Aside from the Soviet Union, no other country could even hope to challenge the Americans. Butch Lee, born in Puerto Rico and raised in Harlem, was a rising star for Marquette, but was denied a try-out for the U.S. Olympic team that year, so he accepted a spot on the Puerto Rican roster instead. He scored 35 points in a game against the U.S., almost leading Puerto Rico to the biggest upset in Olympic basketball history, losing 95-94. After leading Marquette to the national championship and winning Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament, Lee was drafted 10th overall by the Hawks in 1978. He thus became the first Latino in the NBA, setting the stage for future stars like Manu Ginobili and Al Horford, and fellow Puerto Rican J.J. Barea. A solid point guard that could handle the rock and score at will, Lee seemed destined for stardom but his career was derailed early on by a knee injury. He did win a championship in 1980 as a member of the Lakers, having been traded to the team from Cleveland as part of the infamous James Worthy deal. Waived by the Lakers that summer, Lee returned to his native country and embarked on a successful playing and coaching career in the Puerto Rican National Superior Basketball League.
9) Wataru Misaka (first Asian-American player, 1947)
With World War II in full swing and college sports teams depleted of available student athletes, the NCAA temporarily lifted its ban on freshmen playing varsity basketball for the '43-'44 season. Many schools suspended basketball activity altogether, while others scrambled to fill their rosters with freshmen and military deferments. One of those scramblers was Utah, who featured a 5'7" jitterbug freshman guard named Wat Misaka. The son of Japanese immigrants, Misaka grew up in Ogden, Utah where his father owned a barbershop and the family regularly faced discrimination. Misaka was nonetheless a star player on his high school basketball team, and after two years at a community college he enrolled at Utah just as many of his fellow immigrants were being placed in internment camps by the U.S. government. After playing a slate of games in ’43-‘44 against mostly makeshift military rosters and corporate-sponsored all-stars, the Utes lost to Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky in the first round of the NIT. They were granted a surprise reprieve, an NCAA Tournament berth, after Arkansas was forced to withdraw due to several players being injured in a bus accident. Utah responded by shocking Missouri, Iowa State, and Dartmouth in succession to win the national championship. Led by the returning Misaka and future NBA star Arnie Ferrin, Utah returned to the NIT in 1947 and this time upended Kentucky to win it. Misaka, who had served a two-year stint in the Army in between his seasons with Utah, was terrific in that title game in Madison Square Garden, catching the eye of Knicks general manager Ned Irish by shutting down Kentucky star Ralph Beard. Irish selected Misaka in the ensuing draft, making him the first Asian or Asian-American player in NBA history. In fact, Misaka was technically the first person of color to ever reach the NBA. He was cut after just three games and seven total points scored, and after mulling an offer from the Harlem Globetrotters, Misaka chose to retire from basketball, returning to Utah instead to finish his degree in engineering. His college uniform and sneakers now hang in the Japanese-American National Museum in Los Angeles.