ROCHESTER, N.Y. — More than 75 years ago, Earl Lloyd broke the NBA’s color barrier while playing for the Washington Capitals against the Rochester Royals on Oct. 31, 1950.

“It was not with the Royals. No, it was with their opponents who would come in to play — the Washington Capitals. And they brought with them their new acquisition, Earl Lloyd,” RIT professor Rebecca Edwards said.

Edwards helped curate an exhibit in 2016 about the Royal’s history and the NBA championship the team won in 1951.

Edwards explained that integrated teams were already present in Rochester before Earl Lloyd’s historic game. William “Dolly” King played for the Royals in 1946 as part of the NBL before the merger that formed the NBA.

“There is not a lot of mementos here,” Edwards said. “There’s not a lot of public art celebrating the Royals. I’ve had people tell me it’s simply because, well, they left. So why should we remember?”

Ronald Mack was born in 1936 and recalled attending Royals games at the Edgerton Park Sports Arena, which has since been demolished.

Mack was an accomplished basketball player at the Aquinas Institute and Le Moyne College in Syracuse. He shared his experiences meeting NBA greats, including Bob Cousy and Earl Lloyd when Lloyd was a member of the Syracuse Nationals.

“I went to a lot of games at the Edgerton Park, which is now torn down, but it was great,” Mack said. “We used to scrimmage Syracuse, and Earl Lloyd was on that team, and that’s my only connection there. He was a nice man. He was a wonderful man. He was great.”

Edwards had the opportunity to speak with Lloyd before his death in 2015. He urged her not to refer to him as the “Jackie Robinson of basketball,” a description he resisted.

“His explanation was that Jackie Robinson had been alone — where the NBA, yes, Earl Lloyd was the first to play, but then two other black players quickly followed,” Edwards said.

Lloyd told Edwards he wasn’t under pressure from the media spotlight because basketball wasn’t as popular as baseball at the time.

A significant anniversary is approaching for the Rochester Royals. On April 2, it will be 75 years since the team won its lone NBA championship in 1951. The Royals played in Rochester from 1945 to 1957 and are now known as the Sacramento Kings.

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