Race and Basketball
The push for integration across the country was influenced in a large way by the world of sports Black athletes and coaches were recognizable figures accros the nation, and their brilliances in their respective sports gave them further visibility. Because of this, the integration of sports was seen by activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. as integral to the larger movement.
​Gene Banks pictured embracing White teammate Kenny Dennard (1979). Gene Banks is widely recognized as the first Black superstar in Duke Basketball history. What made his time and so many other athletes' time at Duke possible?
"The Spirit Lives on..." Duke Basketball 1978-79, Duke Archives
Coach John Mclendon was an original disciple of James Naismith, the founder of the sports of basketball. Watch any basketball game today and you will see the influence of McLendon's original invention of the fast break.
John McLendon Biography - National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the Mclendon Foundation
While sports largely remained racially segregated throughout the 50s and 60s, Black players and coaches continued to invent new ways to play their respective games. John McLendon, a basketball coach at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), had his teams push the ball in the fast break and employed a four corners offense, later used by Dean Smith at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).
Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) around the country became the premier hubs for sports innovation, and basketball was a predominant example. Black players in segregated leagues learned a different and often more modern style than was played in predominantly white leagues. Today, much of what we recognize as fundamental aspects of basketball grew into recognizable form through the care and creativity of many Black coaches and players.
Double Standards for Black Players
It was not long before these innovations impacted white players. When Claudius first played at Duke, fans, and referees ridiculed him for how he dribbled the ball. They often referred to his style of play as “hot dog moves.”
But white players who used these moves were praised. During his freshman year, Claudius played against Pete Maravich. Maravich is recognized today as a pantheon great in basketball for his mastery of the same dribbling style many disparaged Black players like Claudius for using. During Claudius’ senior year, another Duke player named Dick Divenzio was described in a local newspaper as a “little Trotter,” likening his moves to those of the Harlem Globetrotters.
In Claudius’ senior year, another player on the team was praised by the media for his dribbling style, which had been learned from watching the all-Black Globetrotters as a boy. Meanwhile, Claudius had been mocked for the way he dribbled the ball. What does this say about how people perceive White and Black players?
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"DeVenzio Was Little Trotter," 1969, Duke Archives.
Why didn't Duke recruit Black players earlier?
In the 1966-1967 season UCLA and Duke played multiple times. It was Lew Alcindor's, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, sophomore season. Note that the game program did not include a picture of Claudius Claiborne.
1967 Tournament Program, Duke Libraries
Duke integrated its college and its sports teams far later than many other schools. The justification Duke university had was that many Black athletes could not meet the requirements of the Duke admissions office and that many Black athletes did not want to go to the South. This statement is troubled by the fact that Southern schools like HBCUs had had brilliant Black athletes for decades before.
Was Duke ready to be a hospitable place for its Black students?
"Coach Waters Explains Duke Recruiting Policies", The Duke Chronicle, vol. 60, no. 47 (Friday, April 23, 1965), Duke Libraries