1952 Chuck Cooper Boston Celtics African American NBA Pioneer Goes Airborne vs NY Knicks Original TYPE I Photo

Chuck Cooper was a trailblazing African American basketball player who made history in 1950 as the first Black player ever drafted into the NBA, selected by the Boston Celtics. A 6'5" forward from Duquesne University, Cooper excelled as a defender and rebounder during his six-year NBA career with the Celtics, St. Louis Hawks, and Fort Wayne Pistons. His signing helped integrate professional basketball and paved the way for future generations of Black players. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Offered is an original 7x9 inch TYPE I Photo of Cooper going to the air right before releasing the round ball over the New York Knick’s George Kaftan #6 in a game at Madison Square Garden on February 2, 1952.  Also seen in this photograph are #14 Bob Cousy (looking on in anticipation) of the Celtics (also you can see Easy Ed Macauley #22 behind Kaftan) and #10 Max Zaslofsky of the Knicks watching in amazement. At that particular moment, the score was 22-20.

Crystal clear shot with original paper caption and UPI stamp on back.  Also stamped dated from 2/8/52.