Another NBA draft has come and gone, and 60 young men heard their names called, beginning what they hope will be a successful professional journey.
Unfortunately, none of those 60 came from an HBCU, and none have since Norfolk State big man Kyle O’Quinn was drafted by the New York Knicks in 2012.
Why have HBCU basketball players had a tough time fulfilling their NBA dreams? A lack of opportunities is the main culprit, but even that answer has some underlying issues.
No Black players were drafted when the NBA Draft began as the Basketball Association of America Draft in 1947. Still, three years later, more opportunities came about thanks to a merger with the National Basketball League.
Earl Lloyd of West Virginia State became the first HBCU player drafted and went on to help the Syracuse Nationals win the 1955 NBA title.
Opportunities for HBCU players were once plentiful
Other HBCU legends would follow: Dick Barnett of Tennessee State was drafted No. 4 overall by Syracuse in 1959, Grambling’s Willis Reed was selected in the second round by the New York Knicks in 1964, and in 1967, Winston-Salem State’s Earl “The Pearl” Monroe became the highest HBCU selection to date, drafted 2nd overall by the Baltimore Bullets.
The 1960s and 1970s saw the NBA and the rival American Basketball Association battling for players, which led to the NBA having a draft last as long as 21 rounds in 1968 before settling on 10 rounds in 1974.
HBCU players were drafted in later rounds, but not many had a chance to stick. Notable exceptions include Marvin Webster (Morgan State), Purvis Short (Jackson State), Larry Smith (Alcorn State), Rick Mahorn (Hampton) and Charles Oakley (Virginia Union).
By the time the NBA went to a two-round draft in 1989, the reasoning was that undrafted free agents could sign wherever they wanted instead of having their rights held up by a particular team.
In the 36 years the NBA Draft has lasted two rounds, 20 HBCU players have been selected, leaving HBCU pro hoops hopefuls back where they started over 75 years ago.
The same problem the NFL and Major League Baseball have with scouting HBCUs, the NBA has similar issues; the allure and reputation of Power 4 schools with one-and-done athletes ticketed for stardom will always be the first choice. International players are considered more lucrative talents than American-born players.
It makes what Kyle O’Quinn and Tennessee State’s Robert Covington (an undrafted free agent) accomplished in recent years all the more remarkable.
The solution might be even harder to figure out
So now that we know the reason very few HBCU players are taken in the NBA Draft, what is the solution? That might be even harder to figure out.
Could the NBA create an HBCU combine similar to what the NFL does? Possibly. An HBCU All-Star game already exists for the NCAA basketball championships, and HBCU teams have been picked to play during NBA All-Star Weekend.
There are things in place, but much like the NFL and MLB player personnel folks have to want to scout HBCU players, the same applies to the NBA. Unfortunately, you can’t make anyone do anything they seemingly don’t want to do.
So it goes that while the name on the front of the jersey continues to matter, the HBCUs that helped shape pro sports in this country get left out in the cold, hoping for a chance to prove that their players are just as good as the ones seen on ESPN every week or overseas.