Breaking Barriers: A Journey Through the Racial Integration of the NBA and the Legacy of the Black Fives
As we begin Black History Month, it is important to reflect on the triumphs the African-American community has overcome. When people think of Black activists who pioneered civil rights, the mind often drifts to Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, or Rosa Parks.
While those names are what immediately come to mind- hundreds of thousands have fought to get to where we are today. Some of the biggest battles of desegregation happened not on the streets, not on a bus, but on the courts.
Activists protesting for equal rights at a social movement. (Image by Maskot/Getty Images)
Before the Civil Rights movement, African-American basketball players were fighting for their space in the sport. This was ‘The Black Fives era.’ “Fives” refers to the starting five players on the team, and “Black Fives” was used to describe an all-Black team early in its history.
The University of Alabama versus the University of Kentucky in a segregated game of basketball. (Retrieved from The W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library/The University of Alabama)
The era began in 1904, only 13 years after basketball was invented. Basketball was introduced to the Black community by Edwin Bancroft Henderson, a physical educator working in Washington D.C.. He discovered the game during a summer session at Harvard University.
Soon, organized teams began to form. The first was the Smart Set Athletic Club of Brooklyn- which was formed in 1907.
A collage of prominent characters related to the Smart Set Athletic Club of Brooklyn. (Retrieved from The Black Fives Foundation)
More teams began to assemble throughout the East Coast. The St. Christopher Club and Alpha Physical Culture Club in Harlem, New York City, the Washington 12 Streeters in Washington D.C., and the Monticello Athletic Association in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania were some of the first teams.
The Alpha Physical Culture Club of Harlem in the 1911-1912 season. (Retrieved from The Black Fives Foundation)
These teams faced many conflicts as they attempted to ball. Often, gymnasiums were white-owned and barred the teams from playing, so The Black Fives were forced to be creative.
Games were played in church basements, armories, dance ballrooms, and even the rooftop of a department store. The creativity bled into more than just the location.
Events with music and dance were often hosted before and after games. This paired with the age of jazz, which was also helping empower the Black community.
Louis Armstrong (Left), famous Jazz musician of the early 1900s, and his Hot Five band- as well as his then-wife Lil (Right). (Photo by Gilles Petard/Redferns)
While the events were fun, the basketball played introduced a new style of play. Described as “run and gun,” the games were reportedly more fast-paced and exciting compared to the more structured and deliberate style of White games.
A previous marketing executive of the NBA and creator of the nonprofit “Black Fives Foundation”, Claude Johnson, claims the constant movement of today’s basketball was born in the Black Fives Era. He says the pick-and-roll and the goal of freeing up outside shooters were generated in these leagues.
This intense gameplay drew large interracial crowds and ticket sales skyrocketed in the early 1920s. The Black Fives were helping dissolve social stigmas that African Americans were lesser people.
Photo by Simonkr/Getty Images
However, the Black Fives were not removed from discrimination of the 1900s. Constant racism was present in their daily lives, belittling their drive to play.
That was not their only challenge. The few teams had to travel long distances to play, racking up expenses. Although, the teams persisted through this all to fight for title of the “Coloured Basketball World’s Champion.”
National Guard troops block a street as civil rights protesters march on March 29th, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo from Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
Coined by Lester Walton, a sports editor of the New York Age, the “Coloured Basketball World’s Champion” was not a title earned from winning a tournament.
The honor was granted to a team based on a collaborated consensus of some of the most prominent Black sportswriters who covered basketball.
Lester Walton (Left), journalist and diplomat, and his family en route to Liberia, 1935. (Retrieved from Courtesy NY Public Library Digital Collections)
During the Black Fives Era, the Harlem Rens are credited as being the most successful team. They were the first all-Black professional team that was owned and founded by an African American. His name is Robert Douglas.
The Rens had an astounding win percentage of 83% of their 3,127 games played. Many of their matchups were with white teams.
The Harlem Rens team photo. (Retrieved from the Black Fives Foundation)
Their on-court dominance got them an invite to the first World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1938- which was held in Chicago. The tournament included 10 of the best all-white teams and the Harlem Globetrotters, another all-Black team.
The Harlem Rens ended up winning the tournament, which was a huge victory on the court and for the African-American community.
James Brock (left), a hotel manager ignores a group of African American integrationists as they try to enter Brock’s restaurant. Shortly after taken, police officers arrest the group led by Reverend Laverty Taylor (right) of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Retrieved from AP Images)
Many players at this time were becoming stars that helped break down stereotypes. Players such as Runt Pullins, Dick "Night Train" Lane, and Pop Gates were highly skilled. These players helped to break down prejudices about African-American athletes and prove that they were just as talented and capable as their white counterparts.
A signed photo of William Penn “Pop” Gates, Harlem Globetrotters basketball player. (Retrieved from Peach Basket Society)
When the NBA launched in 1946, they began as a Whites-only league. However, the impact of the African-American community was clear and it would not take long for integration.
Only four years later, the segregation of the league was dispersed, and Black players could join. This was an era of pioneers.
The agreement to create the NBA, merging the NBL and BAA. Leo Ferris (second from left) and other representatives make the deal. (Photo by John Lent/AP Images)
Chuck Cooper was the first Black player selected in the NBA Draft. The first player to sign an NBA contract was Nathanial “Sweetwater” Clifton. And Earl Lloyd was the first Black player to compete in an NBA game.
The color barrier in the NBA was broken, which opened the door for generations of Black players to make basketball what it is today.
Picture of Earl Lloyd in his prime as the first African American to play in an NBA game. (Retrieved from ExNBA.com)
This era of The Black Fives was a significant chapter in the history of the sport and a reflection of the larger struggle for equality and civil rights in America. These teams and players helped to break down the barriers of segregation in basketball.
They demonstrated that African-American athletes were just as talented and capable as their white counterparts, and their success and popularity helped to create a demand for more diversity in all sports.
The Freedom Riders sit outside their Greyhound bus that was sponsored by the Congress Of Racial Equality. They watch as it goes up in flames due to a group of white men setting it ablaze on May 14th, 1961, in Anniston, Alabama. (Underwood Archives/Getty Images)
Nonprofits like the “Black Fives Foundation” are raising awareness of this largely unknown era of basketball. The legacy of the Black Fives lives on, as their contributions to the sport and the African-American community are increasingly being recognized and celebrated.
The Black Fives era serves as a reminder of the importance of diversity and inclusion in sports, and the role that sports can play in promoting social justice and equality in our society. This era was a significant chapter in the history of basketball, as well as a reflection of the larger struggle for equality and civil rights in America.
