NAT "SWEETWATER" CLIFTON - NBA Pioneer & NBA 75th Anniversary Celebration

Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton was the first Black player to sign with an NBA team, the New York Knicks on May 24, 1950.

Clifton's resilience, vision, and leadership fundamentally changed the game, laying a foundation for a more dynamic league and inspired future generations to dream bigger and push further.

Clifton spent seven seasons with the Knicks as a solid rebounder and loved to run the floor. Clifton averaged 10 points and 8.2 rebounds, and made the 1956 NBA All-Star team, scoring eight points in 23 minutes off the bench.

LEGACY

• Nicknamed for his love of soft drinks and his easy disposition as a young boy
• Served with the U.S. Army for 3 years fighting in Europe during WWII
• Started his professional basketball career with the New York Rens all-black professional basektball team
• Harlem Globetrotter ('47-'50)
• Chicago American Giants player in the Negro American League ('49)
• First Black player to sign with an NBA team, the New York Knicks on May 24, 1950
• The New York Knicks renamed their monthly City Spirit Award in his honor
• Inducted into the Chicago 16-inch softball Hall of Fame for the teams he played with
• Enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Baksetball Hall of Fame ('14)