The NBA world was saddened this past week with news that Earl Lloyd, the first African American to play in the league, had passed away.
Lloyd broke new ground in the basketball world when he stepped foot on the floor in 1950 with the Washington Capitals. He played for three teams over nine seasons, and later coached the Detroit Pistons for one season (1971-72).
Hall of Famer Slick Leonard not only knew Lloyd, but he played against him when Lloyd was on the Syracuse Nationals. Leonard, who was playing for the Minneapolis Lakers at the time, said there’s one thing he hasn’t heard over the past few days in light of Lloyd’s passing.
“Nobody’s even mentioned this,” Slick said with a big smirk on his face. “His nickname was Squirrel. I don’t know why they gave him that but they didn’t call him Earl or anything up there in Syracuse when I was around. I knew some of the players, Al Bianchi and Johnny Kerr. They called him Squirrel. That was it.
“Just like they call me Slick, they call him Squirrel. He was a great guy.”
Things are never dull around Slick. He’s just full of stories.