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Double Dribble

An NBA blog from Newsday's Bobby Bonett

Black pioneers in the NBA

Nat quot;Sweetwaterquot; Clifton New York Knicks center grabs

Photo credit: AP

Newsday.com super intern Ashley Melfi and I worked on a photo gallery (which you can see here) highlighting black pioneers in sports.

Of the dozens of athletes, coaches and executives included, seven were connected to the NBA. They included:

Chuck Cooper

In 1950, Cooper was taken in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Celtics, becoming the first black player to be drafted...

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