In celebration of the 75th anniversary of Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd and Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton, the league’s first Black players, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) today announced the NBA Pioneers Scholarship.

Over the next five years, the NBA Foundation and NBPA Foundation will donate $750,000 to underwrite the scholarship “to support HBCU academic and athletic programs throughout the country.”  Initial scholarship recipients will include the alma maters of the three pioneers – West Virginia State University (Cooper, who was also an All-American at Duquesne University and Lloyd and Xavier University of Louisiana (Clifton).  Additionally, all HBCU athletic departments and former NBA HBCU Fellowship program participants will be eligible to apply for the scholarship program in the future.

Chris Paul, a graduate of Winston-Salem University and former president of the NBPA, shared the importance of the scholarship fund.

“This year marks the 75th anniversary of the first black players playing in the NBA, Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd and Nat Sweetwater Clifton, to commemorate their enduring impact,” Paul said in a statement to BET. “Together, the NBA Foundation and the NBPA Foundation will award an NBA pioneer scholarship of $150,000 annually, for a total of $750,000 over five years to support HBCU athletics, academic enrichment and professional development.”

“The inaugural recipients of this award are West Virginia State University and Xavier University of Louisiana,” Paul continued. “To the NBA pioneers, thank you. Your courage gave us an opportunity, your game gave us hope, and your legacy will be a part of every pass, every shot, every moment in the NBA.”

Throughout Black History Month and at NBA All-Star 2026 in Los Angeles, the celebration will continue with community events, hold in-game moments recognizing the NBA Pioneers, share educational resources from partners, promote player content and curate a digital NBA Black History virtual gallery across NBA social channels and on the Black History Month webpage on NBA.com (https://www.nba.com/bhm). 

Also during NBA All-Star 2026, the 5th annual NBA HBCU Classic between Hampton University and North Carolina A&T State University will take place. Throughout February, NBA teams will wear special warm-up shirts to honor the legacy of Cooper, Clifton and Lloyd.