Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton
(1922-1990)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2014
Card Shown:
2009-10 Panini Hall of Fame
Position: C/F
Height: 6’8″
bb
bb
Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, also called “Sweets,” earned his nickname for his love of soda pop. Clifton played for the all-black New York Rens and Harlem Globetrotters before becoming one of the first African-American players in the NBA when he joined the New York Knicks for the 1950-51 season. Nat was considered one of the strongest players in the NBA and was a very effective rebounder and defender. Clifton was also had good ball-handling and shooting skills.
Awards and Honors
- Nat was the first African-American player to sign an NBA contract but the second to actually play in an NBA game behind Earl Lloyd. Chuck Cooper was the first African-American player selected in the NBA Draft. These three broke the NBA color barrier in 1950.
- Clifton was chosen as an NBA All-Star in 1956-57. He scored eight points and collected eleven rebounds during that game.
- Sweetwater’s Knicks made the NBA Finals in each of his first three years but they never won a title. In 1950-51 they lost in seven games to the Rochester Royals team that featured Bob Davies, Arnie Risen, and Bobby Wanzer. Each of the next two seasons they fell in the finals to the Minneapolis Lakers dynasty which featured Hall of Fame players George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Vern Mikkelsen, and Slater Martin.
- Clifton was also a talented baseball player. He played in the minor leagues for the Indians for a few years, but by then he was too old to be a prospect.
- Nat joined fellow Harlem Globetrotter Goose Tatum in the Hall of Fame in Springfield.
Points of Interest
- Sweetwater played in the NBA for eight seasons, his first seven with the New York Knickerbockers and his last with the Detroit Pistons.
- Nat played the role that he was given on the Knicks. He later said that the team didn’t want him to do much scoring. His job was to rebound and play defense, which he did extremely well.
- Clifton played in the NBA from his age 28 season through his age 35 season and had career averages of 10.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
- His best scoring season was in 1954-55 when he averaged 13.1 points per game. Joining him on that Knicks team were Hall of Fame players Harry Gallatin and Dick McGuire.
- When he was with the Knicks there were cities where Nat had to find his own accommodations. He was not allowed to stay with the rest of the team in these cities because of the racism that existed at the time.
- Clifton played in the NBA long before the big salaries that players receive today. When he finished his NBA career, Clifton became a cabdriver in the city of Chicago.
Statistics
Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com
Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton Signed Index Card
