The NBA’s color barrier was broken in 1950. Chuck Cooper became the first black player ever drafted and Earl Lloyd was the first black player ever to play in a game.
Bill Russell became the NBA’s first black head coach when he was designated player-coach of the Celtics following Red Auerbach’s retirement in 1966.
In Russell’s head coaching debut on Oct. 15, 1966, he led the Celtics to a 121-113 win over the Warriors. Russell, who coached Boston for three seasons, led the Celtics to a pair of NBA titles in 1968 and 1969.
In 1969, Lenny Wilkens became the second black head coach in NBA history. He was hired by the Sonics. During the 1969-70 season, the Warriors made a mid-season coaching change, promoting assistant Al Attles.
In the 1975 NBA Finals, Attles and his Warriors faced K.C. Jones and the Bullets. It was the first time that two black coaches or managers faced each other in a championship game or series in any of the four North American major professional sports leagues.
There have been 66 black head coaches in NBA history. That is 21% of the 315 total head coaches in NBA history.
**All 30 NBA franchises have employed at least one black head coach. The Cavaliers and Wizards have had the most – 7 each. The Heat, Rockets and Spurs have had the fewest – 1 each.
**5 black head coaches have won the NBA championship, with Bill Russell (player-coach) and K.C. Jones leading the list with 2 titles apiece. Doc Rivers, Al Attles and Lenny Wilkens have each won 1 title.
**7 black head coaches have won the NBA’s Coach of the Year Award. Ray Scott was the first to win (1974). Other winners: Lenny Wilkens (1994), Doc Rivers (2000), Avery Johnson (2006), Sam Mitchell (2007), Byron Scott (2008) and Mike Brown (2009).
**22 coaches in the Basketball Hall of Fame have coached at least 1 game in the NBA. Just 1 is black – Lenny Wilkens.
**There are 7 black head coaches in the NBA today, making up 23% of the NBA. These coaches are: Dwane Casey, Derek Fisher, Alvin Gentry, Lionel Hollins, Jason Kidd, Doc Rivers and Byron Scott.
Peter Newmann is an analyst and writer who spent 10 years at ESPN, 8 as the NBA senior researcher working 24/7 on the league. He wrote game notes for crews, articles for ESPN.com, analysis for studio shows, and regularly assisted reporters and writers. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his Web site, www.peternewmann.com.