Earl Lloyd was the first African-American to play professional basketball. He was born on April 3, 1928, in Alexandria, Virginia. He played college basketball at West Virginia State University before being drafted by the Washington Capitols in 1950. On October 31, 1950, he made history when he stepped onto the court to play for the Capitols, becoming the first African-American to play in the NBA. Lloyd went on to have a successful career, playing for nine seasons and winning an NBA championship with the Syracuse Nationals in 1955. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. Lloyd passed away on February 26, 2015, at the age of 86.