One of the pioneers of integration in the
National Basketball Association, Willie Naulls passed away recently at the age
of 84. Willie Naulls became the first African-American team captain in
"integrated professional sports history" when his New York Knicks
teammates voted him into the captain role early in his career. When Naulls played in his first All-Star
Game, in January 1958, he joined Bill Russell and Maurice Stokes as the only
African-American players on the court. He once held two Knicks scoring
records--a single-season mark in 1960-61 with 1,846 points, an average of 23.4
a game, and a record for scoring at least 30 points in seven consecutive games.
He was a leader off the court as well on the court. Naulls spent the
final five decades of his life helping underserved youth through a nonprofit
organization he founded, and became a minister who wrote eight books to inspire
others.I often saw him riding on the NYC subways going to the old Madison
Square Garden for a game, and he was always very friendly and approachable, and
encouraged his younger fans to get a good education while rooting for the
Knicks.
