Nathaniel Clifton

Nathaniel Clifton
	;
Personal information
Born	; (1922-10-13)October 13, 1922; Little Rock, Arkansas;
Died	; August 31, 1990(1990-08-31) (aged 67); Chicago, Illinois;
Listed height	; 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	; 225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school	; DuSable (Chicago, Illinois)
College	; Xavier (Louisiana) (1942–1943)
Playing career	; 1945–1961
Position	; Center / Forward;
Number	; 19, 8, 24
Career history
1945–1947	; New York Rens;
1947–1950	; Harlem Globetrotters;
; 1950–1956;	; New York Knicks;
1956–1957	; Fort Wayne Pistons;
1961	; Chicago Majors;
;
Career highlights and awards
	; ; NBA All-Star (1957);
;
Career NBA statistics
Points	; 5,444 (10.0 ppg)
Rebounds	; 4,469 (8.2 rpg)
Assists	; 1,367 (2.5 apg)
;
	; Stats at Basketball-Reference.com;
	;
	; Basketball Hall of Fame as player;
	;

Nathaniel "Sweetwater"^[1]Clifton (born Clifton Nathaniel;^[2] October 13, 1922 – August 31, 1990) was an American multi-sport athlete best known as one of the first African Americans to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Early life[edit]

Born in England, Arkansas, Clifton claimed to have been given the "Sweetwater" nickname as a boy because of his love of soft drinks. His family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he became an outstanding basketball and baseball player at DuSable High School, graduating in 1942. He attended Xavier University of Louisiana and then served with the United States Army for three years, fighting in Europe during World War II.

Early pro sports career[edit]

After the war, Clifton joined the New York Rens, an all-black professional basketball team that toured throughout the United States. Noted for his large hands, which required a size 14 glove, he was invited to join the Harlem Globetrotters, for whom he played from the summer of 1948 to the spring of 1950. Still a talented baseball first baseman, during the basketball off-season in 1949 Clifton played for the Chicago American Giants in Negro League baseball. By 1950, his performance with the Globetrotters, in particular his exceptional ball-handling ability, led to his signing a contract with an NBA team.

NBA career[edit]

On April 25, 1950 the 1950 NBA draft was held; Clifton became the first African-American player to be drafted by the NBA before Chuck Cooper second and Earl Lloyd, (May 24) the third to sign an NBA contract after Harold Hunter (April 26), who was cut in training camp. He played his first game for the New York Knicks on November 4, four days after the debut of Washington Capitols player Earl Lloyd, the first black player to appear in an NBA game.^[3] Already 27 years old when he made his debut, Clifton in his first season helped lead the team to its first-ever appearance in the NBA finals, losing in game seven. During his eight seasons in the NBA, Clifton averaged 10 points and 9 rebounds per game. He was named to the 1957 NBA All-Star team, scoring 8 points in 23 minutes in the game. At age 34, he became the oldest player in NBA history to be named an All-Star.^[4]

In 1957, Clifton was part of a multi-player trade between the Knicks and the Fort Wayne Pistons, but after one season in Detroit he retired from basketball. In the summer of 1958, he joined the Detroit Clowns baseball team in the Negro Leagues, along with his former Harlem Globetrotters teammate Reece "Goose" Tatum.

In 1961, he was coaxed out of retirement by the Chicago Majors of the fledgling American Basketball League (ABL). After the league folded at the end of 1962, the 40-year-old Clifton retired permanently.

Honors and charitable work[edit]

Clifton's contributions to his community during his sporting career and after his playing days have been recognized by the Associated Black Charities of New York City. They have honored him by naming one of the Black History Maker Awards the Nathaniel 'Sweetwater' Clifton Award. In 2005, the New York Knicks basketball team renamed their monthly "City Spirit Award" in his honor. The Sweetwater Clifton City Spirit Award is given to a member of the community who goes above and beyond his or her normal duties to make the lives of others in the tri-state area better.

Clifton, who played softball for the Brown Bombers and Capitol Records team of the "Daddy O" Daylie League, was also inducted into Chicago 16 Inch Softball Hall of Fame.^[5]

On his death in 1990, Sweetwater Clifton was interred in the Restvale Cemetery in the Chicago suburb of Alsip.

On February 14, 2014, Clifton was announced as a 2014 inductee by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He formally entered the Hall as a player on August 8.^[6]

NBA career statistics[edit]

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season[edit]

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1950–51	New York	65	–	.322	.532	7.6	2.5	8.6
1951–52	New York	62	33.9	.335	.664	11.8	3.4	10.6
1952–53	New York	70	35.7	.343	.583	10.9	3.3	10.6
1953–54	New York	72	30.3	.368	.628	7.3	2.4	9.6
1954–55	New York	72	33.2	.386	.683	8.5	2.8	13.1
1955–56	New York	64	24.0	.394	.707	6.0	2.4	8.8
1956–57	New York	71	31.4	.377	.673	7.8	2.3	10.7
1957–58	Detroit	68	21.1	.363	.623	5.9	1.1	7.7
Career		544	30.0	.361	.633	8.2	2.5	10.0
All-Star		1	23.0	.364	–	11.0	3.0	8.0

Playoffs[edit]

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1951	New York	14	–	.347	.391	9.8	3.3	7.1
1952	New York	14	33.0	.293	.711	9.5	2.4	9.4
1953	New York	11	36.8	.395	.638	12.7	3.5	12.0
1954	New York	4	31.3	.296	.529	9.8	1.5	6.3
1955	New York	3	36.7	.385	.792	7.7	4.3	19.7
1958	Detroit	7	10.6	.367	.750	3.3	0.6	4.0
Career		53	30.2	.348	.624	9.3	2.7	9.0

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

^ Lederer, Richard (March 1, 1994). "The names of the games". The Telegraph.

^ According to the Social Security Administration death records

^ Araton, Harvey (February 19, 2012). "He Was a Knicks Pioneer, and He Has Proof". The New York Times. p. SP1. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012.

^ Kyle Korver to replace Dwyane Wade, become Hawks' fourth All-Star

^ "Chicago 16" Softball Hall of Fame:Nate "Sweetwater" Clifton". Archived from the original on 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2012-01-21.

^ "Five Direct-Elect Members Announced for the Class of 2014 by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. February 14, 2014. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2014.

External links[edit]

Career statistics and player information from Basketball-Reference.com

[1] Lederer, Richard (March 1, 1994). "The names of the games". The Telegraph.

[2] According to the Social Security Administration death records

[3] Araton, Harvey (February 19, 2012). "He Was a Knicks Pioneer, and He Has Proof". The New York Times. p. SP1. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012.

[4] Kyle Korver to replace Dwyane Wade, become Hawks' fourth All-Star

[zooEvolution-5] "Chicago 16" Softball Hall of Fame:Nate "Sweetwater" Clifton". Archived from the original on 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2012-01-21.

[6] "Five Direct-Elect Members Announced for the Class of 2014 by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. February 14, 2014. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2014.

v t e Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2014
Players	Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton Šarūnas Marčiulionis Alonzo Mourning Mitch Richmond Guy Rodgers
Coaches	Bobby "Slick" Leonard Nolan Richardson Gary Williams
Contributors	David Stern
Teams	Immaculata College

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