who was the first african american to play in the nba
Charles Henry Chuck Cooper (September 29, 1926 â February 5, 1984) was an American professional basketball player. He and two others, Nat Sweetwater Clifton and Earl Lloyd, became the first African American player in the NBA in 1950. Cooper was also the first African-American to be drafted by an NBA team, as the second pick of the second round by the Boston Celtics.