<P> Charles Henry `` Chuck '' Cooper ( September 29 , 1926 -- February 5 , 1984 ) was an American professional basketball player . He and two others , Nat `` Sweetwater '' Clifton and Earl Lloyd , became the first African - American players in the NBA in 1950 . Cooper was also the first African American to be drafted by a National Basketball Association ( NBA ) team , as the first pick of the second round by the Boston Celtics . </P>
<P> Charles Henry `` Chuck '' Cooper ( September 29 , 1926 -- February 5 , 1984 ) was an American professional basketball player . He and two others , Nat `` Sweetwater '' Clifton and Earl Lloyd , became the first African - American players in the NBA in 1950 . Cooper was also the first African American to be drafted by a National Basketball Association ( NBA ) team , as the first pick of the second round by the Boston Celtics . </P>
who was the first black basketball player in the nba
who was the first black basketball player in the nba
Charles Henry `` Chuck '' Cooper
Charles Henry `` Chuck '' Cooper