As part of their 1619 Project, a NY Times piece by Kurt Streeter, “Taking Charge in the NBA,” addresses the issue of race in professional basketball, both today and on a historic basis.
In that regard, it’s worth noting that Holzman was one of the first white players in NBA history to have a black roommate, Dolly King. And that was during the 1946-47 season–before Jackie Robinson had played a single game for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
And the 1979-80 New York Knicks team Red coached was the first in NBA history to have the entire roster composed of only black players.