Helena Frye
Basketball, like many sports, was once racially segregated. The Black Fives Era, which lasted from 1904 until the 1940s, saw the emergence of dozens of all-Black basketball teams in the United States. During this time, Black basketball players faced significant challenges, including racial barriers, financial difficulties, and limited opportunities for sponsorship and venues. Despite these obstacles, the Black Fives Era paved the way for the integration of basketball, with the National Basketball League integrating in the 1940s and the National Basketball Association (NBA) signing its first African American players in 1950. The Black Fives Era played a pivotal role in fostering hope, pride, and unity among African Americans, and their perseverance broke down racial barriers in the sport, opening doors for future generations of Black basketball players.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Period of segregation | 1904 until the 1940s |
| Teams made up entirely of African American players were known as | "Colored quints," "Negro cagers," or "Black fives" |
| Black colleges that played a role in the expansion of basketball during the Black Fives Era | Morehouse College, Tuskegee Institute, Clark University (now Clark College), Atlanta University, Morris Brown College, Shaw University, Lincoln University (Pa), Hampton Institute |
| First non-white NBA player | Wat Misaka, an Asian American, in 1947 |
| First African Americans in the NBA | 1950 |
| Percentage of black players in the NBA in 2023 | 70.4% |
| Percentage of white players in the NBA in 2011 | 17% |
| First African American college basketball player | Paul Robeson at Rutgers University |
| First African American all-American college basketball player | George Gregory, Jr. at Columbia University, in 1931 |
| First African American to sign with a top-level professional contender | Big Dave DeJernett, who signed with the New York Rens in 1936 |
| Black Fives team that won the first-ever world championship tournament | Rens, in 1939 |
| Black Fives team that played an all-white team in 1948 | Harlem Globetrotters |
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What You'll Learn
Basketball was racially segregated
Basketball, like many other aspects of American society, was racially segregated. The Black Fives Era, which lasted from 1904 until the 1940s, saw the emergence, flourishing, and excellence of dozens of all-Black basketball teams. These teams were often known as "colored quints", "Negro cagers", or "black fives". They were sponsored by churches, athletic and social clubs, "Colored" YMCAs, businesses, and newspapers, and played in urban industrial centres like New York, Washington, Pittsburgh, and Chicago.
The Black Fives Era was a pivotal period in Black history, fostering hope, aspiration, pride, unity, pragmatism, and self-esteem among African Americans. Despite facing fears, doubts, and obstacles, these teams climbed to higher levels of success, playing in front of ever-growing audiences. The marriage of basketball and music was an innovation born out of necessity, as Black Fives Era games became meaningful social events, featuring music and dancing.
During this time, Black basketball players faced significant challenges, including segregation laws that affected their travel and accommodations. Despite these obstacles, some Black players, such as Paul Robeson at Rutgers University, Wilbur Wood at Nebraska, Fenwick Watkins at the University of Vermont, and Cumberland Posey at Penn State and Duquesne, became stars in white major-college programs before World War I. George Gregory Jr., who played for Columbia University from 1928 to 1931, became the first African American all-American college basketball player in 1931.
In 1947, William Garrett integrated big-time college basketball by joining the basketball program at Indiana University, breaking the gentlemen's agreement that had barred Black players from the Big Ten Conference. In 1950, the National Basketball Association (NBA) signed its first African American players, marking the end of the Black Fives Era. While early Black players in the NBA experienced racism and racial tension, their perseverance paved the way for future generations of African American players.
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The Black Fives Era
Basketball has a long history of racial segregation. Teams made up entirely of African American players were often known as "colored quints," "Negro cinters," or "black fives." The period from 1904, when basketball was first introduced to African Americans on a wide-scale organized basis, until the integration of the National Basketball League in the 1940s and the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1950, became known as the Black Fives Era.
During this time, dozens of all-Black basketball teams emerged, sponsored by churches, athletic and social clubs, "Colored" YMCAs, businesses, and newspapers. These teams had few places to play, as gymnasiums and athletic clubs were whites-only. However, when the phonograph emerged in the early 1900s, Black music and dance became increasingly popular, and African American sports promoters began to use dance halls and ballrooms as basketball venues on off-nights. This marriage of basketball and music became a staple of Black Fives Era games, with music by top Black musicians and dancing afterward. As a result, Black Fives Era basketball games became meaningful social events that brought together Black communities.
One of the most successful teams of the Black Fives Era was the New York Renaissance, also known as the Harlem "Rens." From 1923 to 1948, the Rens won 2,588 out of 3,117 games, an impressive 83% winning percentage. The Rens were not only known for their athletic prowess but also for their unique style of play, which involved a faster-paced and more entertaining game that showcased the players' skills and daring moves. The Rens played a crucial role in breaking down racial barriers in basketball, paving the way for the Civil Rights Movement and inspiring generations of African American players.
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Integration of the NBA
Basketball, like American society, was racially segregated. Teams made up entirely of African American players were known as "black fives". The Black Fives Era, from 1904 until the 1940s, saw the emergence, flourishing, and excellence of dozens of all-Black basketball teams. During this time, Black basketball games were more than just sports events; they were social gatherings that featured music by top Black musicians and dancing.
In the 1949-50 season, the NBA took a significant step towards racial integration. This watershed moment came on the heels of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. The NBA witnessed three Black pioneers join its league: Chuck Cooper, Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton, and Earl Lloyd. Cooper became the first Black player selected in the NBA Draft, Clifton became the first Black player to sign an NBA contract, and Lloyd became the first Black player to play in an NBA game. This marked the beginning of the integration of the NBA, breaking the color barrier and opening the door for future generations of Black players.
Despite the progress, the integration of the NBA was not without its challenges. Initially, there was a sense of ennui surrounding the drafting of African-American players, and press accounts of the games made no mention of race. However, the transition to integration was quiet and uneventful. Lloyd, who was the first Black player to see action in an NBA game, went on to enjoy a successful career, playing several seasons in the NBA and becoming one of the first African-Americans to play on a championship team.
The integration of the NBA was a pivotal moment in the history of the league and society as a whole. It opened the door for future generations of Black players and contributed to the Civil Rights Movement. The pioneers of the Black Fives Era fostered hope, aspiration, pride, unity, pragmatism, and self-esteem among African Americans during a pivotal period in Black history. Their love for the game and their desire to innovate left a lasting impact on the sport and helped shape the NBA into the league it is today.
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College basketball integration
Basketball, like many sports in America, was racially segregated. Teams with African American players were often known as "black fives" and played in a league of their own. The Black Fives Era, as it came to be known, was a period when dozens of all-black basketball teams emerged and thrived. This era lasted from 1904, when basketball was first introduced to African Americans on a wide-scale organised basis, until the integration of the National Basketball League in the 1940s and the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1950.
During this time, black basketball teams played an important social role, with games often accompanied by music and dancing. However, they faced many challenges and obstacles, with limited access to gymnasiums and athletic clubs, which were predominantly whites-only.
The integration of college basketball began slowly, with black players gradually breaking into the sport despite facing pervasive segregation and discrimination. In 1947, William Garrett became the first African American to join a major college basketball programme at Indiana University. He broke the gentlemen's agreement that had barred black players from the Big Ten Conference, enduring taunts and segregation throughout his time there. Despite this, Garrett became an All-American and the best player Indiana had ever had. Within a year of his graduation, there were six African-American players in the Big Ten teams.
In 1947, Don Barksdale became the first African-American consensus All-American basketball player, also at UCLA. He went on to win Olympic and Pan-American basketball gold medals and was the third African-American to sign an NBA contract.
In 1946, John Wooden, the coach of the Indiana State Teacher's College team (now Indiana State University), refused an invitation to the National Association for Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) tournament due to their policy banning African-American players. One of his players, Clarence Walker, was African-American. The following season, the NAIB reversed its policy, and Wooden's team, with Walker, accepted the invitation, making it the first time an African-American player had competed in a post-season collegiate basketball tournament.
In 1963, Loyola started four black players in the NCAA Tournament and Championship game, shocking the nation and marking a significant step towards integration in college basketball. That same year, Western Kentucky integrated black athletes into their basketball programme, becoming a leader in the Southeast region.
Despite these breakthroughs, Indiana, where many of these milestones took place, was described as "stone-cold isolationist, widely segregated, and hostile to change." It was only through the persistent efforts of African-American players and promoters that college basketball began to integrate, paving the way for future generations of players and contributing to the broader civil rights movement.
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The Harlem Globetrotters
Basketball, like American society, was racially segregated. Teams made up entirely of African American players were often known as "colored quints", "Negro cagers", or "black fives". The Harlem Globetrotters were a Black basketball team that formed in the late 1920s. They began as the Savoy Big Five, a basketball team of Black American players who played exhibitions before dances at the Savoy Ballroom. In 1928, several players left the team and formed a new team called the "Globe Trotters". Abe Saperstein became involved with the team as its manager and promoter. By 1929, Saperstein was touring with his basketball team called the "New York Harlem Globe Trotters". Saperstein selected the name "Harlem" because it was then considered the center of Black American culture, and the name "Globetrotter" to mythologize the team's international travels.
In 1959, the Globetrotters played nine games in Moscow after Saperstein received an invitation from Vasily Grigoryevich, the director of Lenin Central Stadium. The team, which included Wilt Chamberlain, was welcomed enthusiastically by spectators and authorities, and they met Premier Nikita Khrushchev and collectively received the Athletic Order of Lenin medal. The Harlem Globetrotters continued to enjoy immense popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. The team had their own cartoon show on CBS and a live-action Saturday morning variety show, The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, basketball was racially segregated. The period from 1904, when basketball was first introduced to African Americans on a wide scale organized basis, until the integration of the National Basketball League in the 1940s and the NBA in 1950, became known as the Black Fives Era.
The Black Fives Era was a period in basketball history when dozens of all-Black teams emerged, flourished, and excelled. African Americans played basketball in high school physical education classes, on college and university squads, and on club teams representing major urban cities. Teams and players of the Black Fives Era faced many challenges, including segregation, a lack of resources, and limited opportunities for sponsorship and venues.
The Black Fives Era ended in the late 1940s with the gradual integration of white professional basketball leagues, led by the National Basketball League. As more African American players joined integrated leagues like the NBA, interest in Black Fives teams declined, and they faced significant financial challenges.
