<Tr> <Th> Assists </Th> <Td> 734 (1.8 apg) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Stats at Basketball-Reference.com </Td> </Tr> <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> Cooper was born and died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . He was the son of Daniel and Emma Cooper, Daniel was a mailman, and Emma was a schoolteacher . He attended Pittsburgh's Westinghouse High School and graduated in 1944 . For his senior year, he averaged more than 13 points per game, and was an All - City first team center . He then attended and played a semester basketball for West Virginia State College (now University) before being drafted to serve in the United States Navy in the final stages of World War II . Following his service, he enrolled at Duquesne University where he was an All - American, starting all four years, and setting the school - record for total points with 990 in four seasons . During his time Duquesne University had a 78--19 record, and was invited to the then prestigious National Invitation Tournament twice . He was a captain for the 1949--50 team, which was the first team from that university to be nationally ranked all season, finishing with a 23 - 6 record and ranked sixth nationally . He was the first African American to participate in a college basketball game south of the Mason--Dixon line . </P>

Who was the first black basketball player in the nba