Earl Lloyd became the NBA's first Black player when (in the opening game of the season in Rochester) the Washington Capitols put him in the game after halftime. He went on to score six points and grab a game-high 10 rebounds, but the breaking of the color barrier merited barely a mention in news reports of the time.[1]Chuck Cooper of the Boston Celtics and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton of the New York Knicks also played in their teams' openers within a few days.
The lowest scoring game in NBA history occurred on November 22, 1950, where the Fort Wayne Pistons would defeat the Minneapolis Lakers by the final score of 19–18. It would be a catalyst for the NBA to implement the shot clock a few seasons later.
The longest game in NBA history (by playing time) took place on January 6, 1951, between the Indianapolis Olympians and the Rochester Royals. The game, held in Rochester at Edgerton Park Arena, ended 75–73 after 78 minutes, including six overtimes.[2] The overtimes saw only 18 points scored between the two teams, so this game also became a factor in the introduction of the shot clock.[1]
During the month of January 1951, it was discovered by New York District Attorney Frank Hogan that Sol Levy, a referee that has been a part of the NBA for three seasons, had arranged to fix the outcomes of six different NBA games under an accomplice of his.[3] Levy would later be suspended, arrested, and subsequently permanently banned from the NBA for his role in fixing NBA games, becoming the first official to be banned in such a case.[4]Baltimore Bullets rookie Norm Mager would subsequently be the first official NBA player to be permanently banned afterward when it was discovered he was involved in the CCNY point-shaving scandal back when he was a senior there.
^ abMaiorana, Sal. "Remembering the Royals". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York: USA Today Network. pp. 1A, 6A. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
