They Cleared the Lane: The NBA's Black Pioneers

by Ron Thomas

Today, Black players compose more than eighty percent of the National Basketball Association’s rosters, providing a strong and valued contribution to professional basketball. In the first half of the twentieth century, however, pro basketball was tainted by racism, as gifted African Americans were denied the opportunity to display their talents.

 

Through in-depth interviews with players, their families, coaches, teammates, and league officials, Ron Thomas tells the largely untold story of what basketball was really like for the first Black NBA players, including recent Hall of Fame inductee Earl Lloyd, early superstars such as Maurice Stokes and Bill Russell, and the league’s first black coaches. They Cleared the Lane is both informative and entertaining, full of anecdotes and little-known history. Not all the stories have happy endings, but this unfortunate truth only emphasizes how much we have gained from the accomplishments of these pioneer athletes.

Genres: Basketball, Sports, History

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

Reviews

[Mercy · Rating 5 out of 5]

They Cleared the Lane is an absolutely powerful and eye-opening book. Ron Thomas does a remarkable job of shedding light on the struggles, resilience, and triumphs of the first Black players in the NBA. Through heartfelt interviews and detailed storytelling, he brings to life the experiences of pioneers like Earl Lloyd, Maurice Stokes, and Bill Russell, showing both their groundbreaking achievements and the racism they had to overcome.

What I loved most is how the book balances history with deeply human stories it’s both informative and emotional. The anecdotes and lesser-known facts make it engaging, while the honesty about the hardships faced makes you appreciate even more what these athletes contributed not just to basketball, but to American society as a whole.

[Liora Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed the way I see the history of basketball. Thomas brilliantly exposes how racism shaped the early game and honors the trailblazers who made today’s NBA possible. His research is meticulous, his storytelling vivid, and his passion undeniable. It’s not just a sports book, it’s an important cultural document.

[Ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the current National Basketball Association (NBA) is over 80 percent black, African Americans did not enter the league until 1950. Yet even the most dedicated NBA fan would be hard-pressed to identify such pioneers as Harold Hunter (the first black player to sign an NBA contract), Earl Lloyd (the first black to play in an NBA game), and Chuck Cooper (the first to be drafted by an NBA team).

The book describes their trials and triumphs and then more briefly traces the rise of the black athlete as a force in the league. It was not easy, as there were official and unofficial "quotas," and local harassment could make traveling with the teams a real ordeal. This book is important not just for basketball fans but for those who want to understand the role played by African Americans in the development of the NBA and big-time sports today.

[Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas provided this reader with a vast array of historical facts and insight from significant people regarding Afro-American relations in professional basketball across the United States. The account presented by Thomas ranged from the events leading up to its inception up until the early years of the twenty first century. I highly recommended this book to anyone eager to learn more about the game of basketball, the evolution of the NBA and Afro-American history.

[RA · Rating 3 out of 5]

2002 book about the early, mostly unknown black "pioneer" basketball players. Recommended for any NBA fan.