Short answers, pulled from the story.
Earl Lloyd was an American professional basketball player and coach who, on the 31st of October 1950, became the first African American to play in an NBA game. He was a 6-foot-5 forward drafted by the Washington Capitols in the ninth round of the 1950 NBA draft and later won the 1955 NBA Championship with the Syracuse Nationals.
Earl Lloyd played his first NBA game on the 31st of October 1950, Halloween night, scoring six points for the Washington Capitols. Chuck Cooper of the Boston Celtics played one day later, and Nat Sweetwater Clifton of the New York Knicks played four days after that.
Lloyd attended West Virginia State University on a basketball scholarship. He helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a 30-0 season in 1947-48, the only undefeated team in the United States that year, and earned All-American recognition twice from the Pittsburgh Courier.
Yes. Lloyd won the 1955 NBA Championship with the Syracuse Nationals, who defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons four games to three. Lloyd and teammate Jim Tucker became the first African Americans to play on an NBA championship team.
Lloyd was named head coach of the Detroit Pistons for the 1971-72 season, making him the first non-playing Black head coach in NBA history and the fourth Black head coach overall. He compiled an overall record of 22-55 before being relieved of his duties on the 28th of October 1972.
Lloyd was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003 as a contributor. The state of Virginia had previously declared the 9th of February 2001, Earl Lloyd Day by gubernatorial action.