Don Barksdale was the first African American All American, Olympic Team Member and NBA All Star.

Throughout his career Don Barksdale broke the racial barrier time after time in both professional basketball and as a radio announcer.

#BlackHistoryMonth

Born in Oakland, California. He attended Berkeley High School, where the basketball coach cut him from the team for three-straight years because he wanted no more than one black player.

He played for two years for Marin Junior College before earning a scholarship to UCLA.

The lanky 6'-6" Don Barksdale played four years of AAU ball with the Oakland Bittners before the ban on blacks in the NBA was lifted. In 1949 the Bittners won the AAU national championship, breaking the 66ers streak of six consecutive titles.