A Trailblazing Basketball Player & Coach Remembers the Early NBA Monday, September 12, 2022

As a child in the 1940s in Philadelphia, Ray Scott idolized the Harlem Globetrotters, whom he credits with introducing him to professional basketball in an era when it was a predominantly white spectator sport. So when he was drafted by the National Basketball Association’s Detroit Pistons in 1961 he was already familiar with the Black ground-breakers in the League, figures like Earl Lloyd, the first Black man to play in an NBA game. Little did he expect that just over a decade later he would become a coach, and soon a basketball icon himself, as the first Black coach to be named the NBA’s Coach of the Year. In today’s episode, Ray Scott talks about his experiences as a player and coach—and much more—that he recounts in his new memoir, “The NBA in Black and White: The Memoir of a Trailblazing NBA Player and Coach.” He will offer a storied history of several other prominent Black players of his time, including Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Roberson and Bill Russell, and the impact they had transforming the game. Along with his favorite memories as player and coach, Ray will detail his formative role in the creation of the modern-day NBA through his contribution in establishing the NBA players’ union in the 1960s. He’ll provide his perspective on issues of racial discrimination and integration over his lifespan, including his involvement in the civil rights movement, from meeting Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X to working alongside Coretta Scott King. And finally, Ray will talk about how he transitioned from his NBA years into a successful post-basketball life of business and social service.