Donald Barksdale was an American professional basketball player who broke several racial barriers in basketball history. He has played in the National Basketball Association with the Baltimore Bullets and Boston Celtics.
He was the first African-American to be named NCAA All-American, the first to play on the U.S. Olympic basketball team, and the first to play in an NBA All-Star Game.
Player Profile
Donald Argee Barksdale was born on March 31, 1923, in Oakland, California, and passed away on March 8, 1993, in his hometown. He stood 198 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 91 kg.
Position | Power Forward |
Height / weight | 1.98 m / 91 kg |
Born | 31 Mar 1923 |
Died | 8 Mar 1993 (69 years) |
Nationality |
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Playing Style | Right Handed |
Nickname | Don |
Team History | |
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1953 - 1955 |
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1951 - 1953 |
Oakland Blue n' Gold Atlas | 1950 - 1951 |
Oakland Bittners | 1948 - 1949 |
He shoots right and played both power forward and small forward throughout his career.
He died of throat cancer at the age of 69 on March 8, 1993. He is survived by his sons Derek and Donald.
High School and College Career
Barksdale attended Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California. He then played college basketball at Marin College (1941-1943) before transferring to UCLA (1943, 1946-1947), where he earned Consensus second-team All-American and First-team All-PCC honors in 1947.
UCLA later retired his jersey number 11.
Professional Career
After going undrafted in the 1947 NBA Draft, Barksdale played for local Oakland teams before joining the Baltimore Bullets in 1951. He made history as the first African-American to play in an NBA All-Star Game in 1953. He concluded his professional career with the Boston Celtics (1953-1955).
After retiring, he returned to radio, started his own recording label, and opened two nightclubs in Oakland.
In 1983, he founded the Save High School Sports Foundation to support Oakland school athletic programs. He was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Olympics History
In 1948, Don Barksdale made history as the first African-American to play on the U.S. Olympic basketball team and win a gold medal in basketball. His selection to the team came after significant advocacy from Fred Maggiora, an Olympic Basketball Committee member, who faced strong resistance from other committee members due to racial prejudice.
The team, which included five Kentucky Wildcats players and members of the AAU Champion Phillips 66ers, went undefeated in London, winning all 12 games and securing the gold medal.
Despite his success, Barksdale faced ongoing discrimination, including being unable to stay at the same hotel as his teammates during a scrimmage in Kentucky.
Notably, Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp, who served as an assistant coach for the Olympic team, became a close friend to Barksdale during the games, though both acknowledged they could do little about the racial prejudices of the time.
Career Highlights
- 1953 - NBA All-Star
- 1947 - Consensus second-team All-American
- 1947 - First-team All-PCC
- Jersey Number 11 Retired by UCLA Bruins
Medal Record, Men’s Basketball, Representing the United States of America
- Gold - 1948 Olympics London
- Gold - 1951 Pan American Games Buenos Aires