When basketball was invented in 1891, it was a completely white sport. Our people were still seen as objects, blackface was at its peak, and racists took pleasure in targeted lynchings. But then something changed.
A Black student, Edwin Henderson, took a basketball class in college. He later began teaching the sport to Black children in segregated schools. Soon basketball spread – especially in cities, where basketball courts were cheap and easy to set up and all players needed was a basketball to play.
In the 1920s through the 40s, Jewish Americans were often low-income and lived in cities, too – and dominated the NBA. Jews faced discrimination in the league, but Black players were excluded completely. So we started our own leagues – and changed the game forever.
As Black teams gained popularity, “exhibition games” between white teams and Black teams – known as “Black Fives” – became common. The Black Fives’ skill and popularity grew basketball into a space for Black excellence, which directly led to the integration of the NBA in 1950!
Today we think of basketball as a Black sport, but it wasn’t always that way. We’ve never needed white approval to be great – the NBA needed US! Our creativity and resilience have given us the strength to fight racism through the ages, both on and off the court.