Hoops Heroes: The Untold Story of Black Basketball
LETTER FROM CICELY LEWIS Dear Reader When you think of today's star Black athletes who comes to mind Maybe you think of LeBron James Mookie Betts Dak Prescott or Simone Biles They are all great athletes But do you know who paved the way for them VER INS SPIRE EMPO Cicely Lewis I began Read Woke Books to challenge social norms and to share stories of people from underrepresented and oppressed groups In this series you will be introduced to lesser known athletes and the barriers they overcame to make great changes in sports Sports is more than a game Throughout history sports have been a way to help fight injustices in our world As you read think about how the actions athletes have made in their sports have impacted the world I hope these books inspire you to never give up Someone has to take the first step and it might as well be you Power to the Reader Cicely Lewis Executive Editor
6 TABLE OF CONTENTS KING OF THE COURT 4 CHAPTER 1 A NEW GAME CHAPTER 2 SPREAD THE WORD 12 CHAPTER 3 BRIGHT STARS CHAPTER 4 LASTING LEGACY Glossary Source Notes Read Woke Reading List Index 28 29 30 31 16 20
lack people have not always been allowed to play sports alongside white athletes Instead Black people had to create their own leagues and teams For 4 The New York Renaissance play against the Minneapolis Lakers on April 11 1948 LAKERS 99 Rens KING OF THE COURT basketball Black people created the Black Fives The teams were made up of Black players with five from each team on the court at one time One of the biggest stars of the Black Fives Era was Charles Tarzan Cooper Cooper was a center He excelled at grabbing rebounds and passing In 1929 he joined the New York
Charles Tarzan Cooper of the New York Renaissance NISSA Renaissance Rens then the most successful Black Fives team Cooper helped the Rens win 88 straight games in 1932-1933 During his 11 years with the Rens the team won 1,303 of 1,506 games In 1977 Cooper became the first Black player to join the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame But many of his accomplishments along with those of the Black Fives Era's other stars have faded with time Black Fives players helped pave the way for the Black high school college National Basketball Association NBA and Women's National Basketball Association WNBA stars They have a huge role in basketball history 5
