Looking for script and/or writer of "Black Ball"

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  • Looking for script and/or writer of "Black Ball"

    Black Ball is script about Nat 'Sweewater' Clifton, the first black player to enter NBA.

    If anyone knows who wrote this, or where I can get in contact with the writer, it will be highly appreciated.

    Thank you.

  • #2
    Re: Looking for script and/or writer of "Black Ball&amp

    Have you seen this? There are contact numbers at the end of the story (bottom of second page). I have no idea if they're still valid:

    seattle.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2003/06/30/story6.html

    Good luck!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Looking for script and/or writer of "Black Ball&amp

      thanks augie.

      Comment


      • #4
        BLACK BALL Correction

        Just for the record...

        Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton was NOT the first African-American to play in the NBA. Actually, he was the THIRD.

        Chuck Cooper of the Boston Celtics was the first black player DRAFTED to play in the NBA in 1950.

        But the honor of being the FIRST African-American to actually PLAY in an NBA game goes to Earl Lloyd of the Washington Capitols on October 31st (yes, Halloween night) 1950 vs the Rochester Royals.

        Nat was playing for the Harlem Globetrotters when the New York Knicks signed him in the summer of 1950....

        dd

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: BLACK BALL Correction

          From Chuck Cooper's bio at Answers.com:

          www.answers.com/topic/chuck-cooper

          "Charles H. Cooper (September 29, 1926-February 5, 1984), better known as Chuck Cooper, was the first African American basketball player to be signed for play in the NBA. He, Nat Clifton and Earl Lloyd were the first Black men in the league, although Clifton was the first one to play; Clifton's debut game took place one day before Cooper's debut."

          Comment


          • #6
            BLACK BALL: The Final Word

            Sorry Augie, but that Cooper bio info you cite is simply, well, bogus. From NBA.com:

            1950-51 SEASON OVERVIEW
            NBA's Color Line Is Broken

            The season also marked the first appearance of black players in the league. Chuck Cooper became the first black player to be drafted when he was chosen by Boston; Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton became the first to sign an NBA contract when he signed with New York, and Earl Lloyd became the first to play in an NBA regular-season game because the schedule had his Washington team opening one day before the others.

            As I stated previously, Earl Lloyd was the first black player to actually PLAY in an NBA game.

            Case closed....

            dd

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            • #7
              Re: BLACK BALL: The Final Word

              Don't apologize. It's not MY site. Maybe they should call it incorrectanswers.com.

              Comment


              • #8
                BLACK BALL: The Final Word

                Well, in the final analysis, I guess a case could be made that "Sweetwater" was the first African-American in the NBA because he was the first to ink a contract. So technically correct.

                Maybe I'm just splitting hairs here. Basically the 3 black players--Cooper/Lloyd/Clifton broke the NBA color barrier together beginning with the 1950 season. But none of them "broke the ground" individually like Jackie Robinson did in baseball...since the precedent for black basketball players had long been established in colleges. When the trio entered, it simply was no big deal, barely caused a ripple, hardly mentioned in the "media" of the time. (I actually had the good fortune to spend a couple of hours talking to Earl Lloyd a few years back in his Tennessee home.)

                Anyway, enough. Back to writing. Thanks for the dialogue, Augie.

                dd

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: BLACK BALL: The Final Word

                  boys,
                  i started this and i gotta tell you doc.

                  sweetwater was the jackie robinson of nba.

                  it was a big deal historically, culturally and commercially.

                  one can say, he, along with other two, made nba what it is today.

                  very few white men can jump.

                  anyway, thanks dudes.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: BLACK BALL: The Final Word

                    sweetwater was the jackie robinson of nba
                    And we certainly haven't looked back since. :lol

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      BLACK BALL Revisited

                      King,

                      "Sweetwater" as the "Jackie Robinson of the NBA"?

                      Aargh.

                      I'm not going to try and dissuade you, but really, the comparison is "iffy" at best. In the early 50's, the NBA was a fledgling league (remember, it just began a few years before just after World War 11) that few paid attention to...compared to baseball, which was THE sport of the times--and had a long history of racism--which Robinson dramatically stepped into. Probably the most intriguing aspect of "Sweetwater's" signing with New York was the fact that he was essentially "stolen" away from the Harlem Globetrotters, pissing off owner Abe Saperstein.

                      Besides, unlike Jackie with "da Bums", "Sweetwater" NEVER won a championship in his 7 seasons with the Knicks--and, in fact, only played in one All-Star game.

                      Robinson? A giant of his era for breaking through baseball's color barrier. "Sweetwater" Clifton? An answer to a trivia question...not the story of one man altering the landscape of a major American sport....

                      That said, there is indeed an incredible tale to be told about African-American NBA players enduring segregation hardships throughout the 50's in outposts like St. Louis and Fort Wayne (Indiana)...

                      dd

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: BLACK BALL Revisited

                        dd

                        your pts well taken.
                        however,

                        the point of or, importance of sweetwater is its symbolic meaning. not number of championships.

                        it's historical.

                        kinda like man on the moon or rosa parkes.
                        know what i mean?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          BLACK BALL Revisited

                          King,

                          I understand the symbolism, but Jackie's entry into baseball a few years previous really made (makes) "Sweetwater's" signing with the Knicks a minor historical footnote. An NBA pioneer, sure. A heroic figure--like Robinson--nah, no way.

                          Thus, I remain unconvinced.

                          However, I do wish you luck getting the story told: Take the (black) ball and run with it!

                          dd

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: BLACK BALL Revisited

                            dd

                            i think you're missing the pt.

                            first, mlb and nba is totally different ball game, literally.

                            fans are different too.

                            sure jackie was the one who did in mlb, but he used bat to score points, not skilled shots like baller.

                            my pt is, we are talking about nba and using jackie's name is a metaphor for the hoop game, not a direct comparison.

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