STOKES: The Brief Career of the NBA’s First Black Superstar

A wrenching tale of glittering prospects cut short by mischance.

“Nobody had ever seen a guy his size score, defend, rebound, dribble, and pass so well.” Some may quibble with the authors’ decision to bill Maurice Stokes as the NBA’s “First Black Superstar,” but they convincingly contend that his versatility changed the game for Black players. Moreover, few if any basketball players of any race have had a stronger start to their careers — which makes it all the more tragic that he suffered a head injury during the last game of the 1957-58 season (his third as a pro) that left him paralyzed from the neck down. With therapy, he did eventually regain limited movement. Along with providing an inspiring example of hard work in the face of overwhelming obstacles, this brief account presents a moving friendship tale. Stokes’ white teammate Jack Twyman not only stepped up to help make financial arrangements for his care for the remaining 12 years of his life, but he also co-organized the first of what became an annual fundraiser game. In realistically modeled painted scenes, Ollivierre depicts racially diverse teams and figures with individualized, animated features; Stokes lights up the room before and after the accident, and before a closing recap with photos, he joins some of his successors in a final lineup of recognizable basketball luminaries from Bill Russell to Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen Curry.

A poignant might have been, worth remembering and still as cogent as ever.