In 2023, roughly 70.4% of NBA players and more than 60% of the WNBA were African American. 50% of the 68 college teams were made up of African Americans. A lot has gone down in history to make that majority population possible, and it wasn't easy, especially during a period when some D1 schools had zero black basketball players.
The odd one out
After being named Indiana Mr. Basketball as the top high school player in the state in 1956, Oscar Robertson took the natural next step of enrolling in college. His choice, the University of Cincinnati, didn't turn out to be the dream program he had hoped for. This was the late 1950s, and many Southern universities weren't recruiting Black athletes at all.
"When I went to the University of Cincinnati, I was the first black to play there, and I didn't realize it," Robertson said . "When I went to school there, I didn't see any black people. So one day I told a coach I want to have a meeting. So I let him and said what was going on; he told me the story that they just don't like Blacks at the school."
Being the first African American to play basketball at Cincinnati on an athletic scholarship, you'd think that would be a moment of pride. Still, it wasn't for the future Hall of Famer. He faced the harsh reality of segregation .
On some road trips, hotels wouldn't always let Black athletes stay, so instead of getting a comfy hotel bed like the rest of his teammates, Robertson often found himself crashing into college dorms. Other players also denide him from using the college locker rooms. Years later, when reflecting on those days, Robertson didn't sugarcoat his feelings when he said that he'd never forget and forgive them.
Related: "Obviously LeBron is a physical force" - Oscar Robertson compares James to an unlikely player
Made for the big moments
Despite the hurdles, Robertson dominated on the court for the Cincinnati Bearcats. His scoring average of 33.8 points per game made him the third-highest scorer in college basketball history.
He won the national scoring title for three straight years, was named an All-American, and was crowned College Player of the Year. He held the title of all-time leading scorer until another Hall-of-Famer, Pete Maravich, topped him in 1970.
Now, no one gave 'The Big-O" a heads-up about what he was walking into when he got to UC. He quickly realized he was among only five black athletes in the entire sports program — he and four football players. Nobody told him he'd be one of the only black students on campus, either. But his coach didn't care about any of that. He saw Robertson's talent, plain and simple.
"I said, 'Why didn't you tell me this before I got here? He [the coach] said he didn't want to do that because he wanted me to come. I made a commitment, and I stuck with it," the Hall of Famer added.
Over the guard's three varsity seasons, he led the Bearcats to an impressive 79-9 record. He made the Final Four twice, but a championship always seemed just out of reach for Oscar, even as he transitioned into the pros, winning one NBA title in the later stages of his career.
Within a year of being drafted by the Cincinnati Royals in the NBA, he became the first basketball star to grace the cover of Time Magazine. And all of a sudden, a segregated player became an icon for the new generation of black basketball players.
Related: Oscar Robertson makes a strong statement against today's NBA players: "If you're making $50 million, there's no load management"
Local News
