The NBA held its inaugural Pioneers Classic (75th anniversary) today in a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. For the game, the players wore special patches on their jerseys, new warm-up shirts, and the winner received a special trophy.
Today’s game between the Celtics and Bucks is the inaugural NBA Pioneers Classic.
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The game honors the 75th anniversary of NBA Pioneers Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd, and Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton, the league’s first Black players.
Both teams will wear commemorative jersey… pic.twitter.com/iUTftUmcDL
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) February 1, 2026
That team would be the Celtics as they won 107-79 behind 30 points and 13 rebounds from Jaylen Brown.
The NBA commemorated the three pioneering African American players who transformed the league: Earl Lloyd, Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton, and Charles “Chuck” Cooper. Cooper was the first African American drafted in the NBA, selected 13th overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1950 Draft.
Lloyd then made history as the first African American to play in an NBA regular-season game. Clifton was the last to break new ground when his contract was purchased from the Harlem Globetrotters, making him the first African American to own an NBA contract.
Without the Pioneers, the NBA wouldn’t be the league we know it as today. We wouldn’t have had the luxury to watch some of the greatest players, like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James, without Cooper, Lloyd, and Clifton.
As fans, we thank the NBA Pioneers for breaking ground and helping to shape the league into a league for all.
