At Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee Bucks fans showed that the night was about more than basketball.
In celebration of Black History Month, the Bucks hosted their annual Black Excellence Game, honoring the pioneers who helped shape the NBA while highlighting today’s leaders making an impact on and off the court—with fans at the heart of the celebration.
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Among those honored were Earl Lloyd, the first African American to play in an NBA game, and Wayne Embry, former Bucks center and the NBA’s first African American general manager, whose contributions helped open doors across the league.
Earl Lloyd Honored Basketball
Anonymous/AP
FILE - In this April 5, 1955, file photo, Ft. Wayne's Mel Hutchins (9) and Syracuse's Earl Lloyd (11) stretch for a ball during the first period of an NBA basketball playoff game in Indianapolis. Lloyd remembers suiting up for the Washington Capitols more than 60 years ago as the first black to play in an NBA game and wondering if he wouldbe good enough to stick around. "I'm glad I was part of something that helped pave the way for others," recalls the 83-year-old Hall of Famer. (AP Photo/File)
LLOYD
PAUL SANCYA/AP
FILE - In this Apirl 23, 2003, file photo, Earl Lloyd is honored at halftime of the Detroit Pistons-Orlando Magic NBA basketball playoff game in Auburn Hills, Mich. Lloyd, the first black player in NBA history, died Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. He was 86. Lloyd's alma mater, West Virginia State, confirmed the death. It did not provide details. Lloyd made his NBA debut in 1950 for the Washington Capitals, just before fellow black players Sweetwater Clifton and Chuck Cooper played their first games. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Clippers Sterling-The Punishment Basketball
FILE - In this Dec. 20, 1969, file photo, former Milwaukee Bucks center Wayne Embry, was honored for his leadership contributions to the Bucks first year, looks over trophy made from his basketball shoe as the Boston Celtics played the Bucks in Milwaukee. Embry fought racism for decades, by refusing to let it defeat him. Drafted into the NBA in 1958, when quotas limited the number of black players, he was the only African-American on the Cincinnati Royals, and later became the NBA's first black general manager. He thinks that the NBA's punishment of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is appropriate, and sends a powerful statement: "Such ignorance cannot and will not be tolerated." (AP Photo/File)
EMBRY
TONY DEJAK/Associated Press
Cleveland Cavaliers team president Wayne Embry comments Wednesday, Jan. 13, 1999, at the Gund Arena in Cleveland on Michael Jordan's retirement from basketball. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
“I think it’s extremely important because obviously there’s a lot of African American players in the NBA and there’s a lot of history that has come from a lot of great players,” said Jodie Bell,
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Jodie Bell, NBA Fan
NBA fan.The energy inside the arena extended beyond the game itself. Fans took in live music, special tributes, and a halftime showcase featuring members of the Divine Nine, historically Black fraternities and sororities.“I think it’s important because it brings us together as a Black community,” said Tay Nicholson.“It exposes our culture and other things as well,” added Rylee Brooks, 15.
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Tay Nicholson, 15
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Rylee Brooks, 15
Fans also showed their support by purchasing Black History Month T-shirts, with proceeds benefiting the “I Have A Dream” Foundation, which provides long-term academic, social, and emotional support for local students.
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Bucks Black History T-Shirt
From celebrating history to uplifting the next generation, Bucks fans helped turn the Black Excellence Game into a powerful tribute to culture, community, and impact.
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