Don Barksdale was an Olympic gold medalist and one of the first black players in the National Basketball Association. His sister, Pamelia Gore, said he died of cancer at his Oakland home. In 1951, after playing collegiately at UCLA, Barksdale joined the Baltimore Bullets, becoming the third black player to sign an N.B.A. contract. A year earlier, Chuck Cooper joined Boston and Earl Lloyd signed with Washington. Barksdale played two years at Baltimore and two for the Celtics in a career in which he played in 262 games, averaging 11 points and 8.0 rebounds. He became the first black to play in an All-Star Game, playing forward for the East team in a 79-75 loss on Jan. 13, 1953. "I was extremely happy I was chosen because the coaches chose you,"Barksdale said last month. "It wasn't like today when the fans choose. I didn't touch the ball much in the game, but at least I was on the team. I was very proud of it." Barksdale was a member of the 1948 United States Olympic basketball team, which won the gold medal at the Games in London. After he retired from basketball, Barksdale became one of the first blacks to be a television host, his sister said. He later owned nightclubs in Oakland and worked as a disk jockey. In addition to his sister, he is survived by two sons, Donald and Derek. (ref: The New York Times and Wikipedia)
Don Barksdale was an Olympic gold medalist and one of the first black players in the National Basketball Association. His sister, Pamelia Gore, said he died of cancer at his Oakland home. In 1951, after playing collegiately at UCLA, Barksdale joined the Baltimore Bullets, becoming the third black player to sign an N.B.A. contract. A year earlier, Chuck Cooper joined Boston and Earl Lloyd signed with Washington. Barksdale played two years at Baltimore and two for the Celtics in a career in which he played in 262 games, averaging 11 points and 8.0 rebounds. He became the first black to play in an All-Star Game, playing forward for the East team in a 79-75 loss on Jan. 13, 1953. "I was extremely happy I was chosen because the coaches chose you,"Barksdale said last month. "It wasn't like today when the fans choose. I didn't touch the ball much in the game, but at least I was on the team. I was very proud of it." Barksdale was a member of the 1948 United States Olympic basketball team, which won the gold medal at the Games in London. After he retired from basketball, Barksdale became one of the first blacks to be a television host, his sister said. He later owned nightclubs in Oakland and worked as a disk jockey. In addition to his sister, he is survived by two sons, Donald and Derek. (ref: The New York Times and Wikipedia)
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