Sunday was the first day of February, marking the start of Black History Month.<\/p>\n
The NBA kicked off the month with its inaugural NBA Pioneers Classic between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden. The game celebrated the 75th anniversary of the league\u2019s first African-American players \u2014 Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd, and Nathaniel \u201cSweetwater\u201d Clifton \u2014 who debuted during the 1950-51 campaign.<\/p>\n
Cooper, who was drafted by the Celtics in 1950, was the first African-American drafted by an NBA team. He played four of his six NBA seasons with Boston, paving the way for other African-American Celtics stars like Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones and more.<\/p>\n
Prior to Sunday\u2019s game against the Bucks<\/a>, Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla reflected on the franchise\u2019s legacy and the importance of pushing it forward.<\/p>\n With the Celtics, Bucks, NBA, and NBPA celebrating the 75th anniversary of the NBA Pioneers \u2014 Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd, and Nathaniel \u201cSweetwater\u201d Clifton \u2014 the league\u2019s first Black players, Joe Mazzulla discussed the Celtics\u2019 historical impact on and off the court and the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/2nkKdAAeoN<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) February 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think there are two opportunities there. When you coach the Celtics, we\u2019ve had high-character people, a history, a tradition in many different forms,\u201d Mazzulla said during his pregame press conference<\/a>. \u201cWhen you\u2019re helping move that forward, you have a responsibility to the people who came before you to move it forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n Mazzulla is following in the footsteps of many great Celtics coaches dating back to Red Auerbach \u2014 a responsibility he doesn\u2019t take lightly.<\/p>\n \u201cOne is to be appreciative of what those before you have done on and off the court. The second piece to that is doing your part in moving that forward and leaving it better,\u201d Mazzulla added. \u201cI think the league\u2019s the same way. We\u2019ve had some great people come through this league, influential people.\u201d<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n Mazzulla has done a great job in that regard, winning on the court while building a special culture off of it. He\u2019s continued the franchise\u2019s proud history in both respects and is cementing his legacy as one of the best coaches<\/a> in recent Celtics history.<\/p>\n \t