1956 HOFer Nat Sweetwater Clifton 1st African American to Sign NBA Contract vs Walter Dukes 1953 NBA #1 Pick Original TYPE I Photo PSA/DNA

Basketball’s integration hit with force, not subtlety. While Jackie Robinson reshaped baseball, the hardwood followed with its own breakthrough. Three players led the way: Chuck Cooper, the first Black player drafted; Nat Clifton, the first to sign an NBA contract; and Earl Lloyd, the first to appear in an NBA game.

Clifton, a 6'8" forward, played seven seasons with the New York Knicks and one with the Detroit Pistons, averaging 10 points and 8.2 rebounds. Before the NBA, he starred with the Harlem Globetrotters and New York Rens. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.

Walter Dukes, the top pick in the 1953 draft, chose the Globetrotters over the Knicks before entering the NBA in 1955. He later played for the Minneapolis Lakers and Pistons, earning All-Star honors in 1960 and 1961. Dukes averaged 10.4 points and 11.3 rebounds, anchoring teams with size, strength, and consistency.

Offered is an original TYPE I photo from 1957 that measures 7" x 9" in size which features a copy of the original paper caption attached on back, dated 2-16-57 of Walter Dukes (then playing for the Lakers - his only season in Minneapolis) shooting, but blocked by Clifton of the Knicks at a game played at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York.

Original TYPE I photos of Clifton are rarely seen. This is the first one that we've seen of Clifton going head-to-head with Walter Dukes. Also featured in the photo are Knicks - Kenny Sears (far left), Jim Paxson (Lakers), and far right - Jim Baechtold.

Encapsulated Authentic as a TYPE 1 photo by PSA/DNA