Naulls grew up in California, where he was named the state's Mr. Basketball in high school. He played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, and earned All-American honors as a senior in 1956. Naulls was selected by the St. Louis Hawks (known now as the Atlanta Hawks) with the ninth overall pick of the 1956 NBA draft. He played briefly with St. Louis before being traded to New York, where he spent most of his career. With the Knicks, he became the first African American to be named a captain of a professional team in a major American sport. After a brief stint with the San Francisco Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors), Naulls finished his career with Boston Celtics. In December 1964, he was part of a Celtics unit that became the first all-black starting lineup in the NBA history.
In his three seasons at UCLA, Naulls averaged 15.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.[1][2] At the time his career ended, he was the Bruins' career leader in both points (1,225) and rebounds (900).[6] He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.[2]
NBA career
Naulls was selected by the St. Louis Hawks in the second round of the 1956 NBA draft with the ninth overall pick.[2] He called it a "culture shock" to see the segregation that existed in St. Louis, the likes of which he had not seen since he was eight before moving to Southern California.[1] He spent just 19 games with the Hawks before being traded to the New York Knicks, with whom he would spend most of his career.[1]
Naulls averaged a double-double (19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game) during his seven-year tenure with the Knicks, and he appeared as an NBA All-Star four times.[7] The Knicks named him their captain in 1960, making him the first African-American athlete to hold the position for any pro team in a major American sport.[1][8][9] In 1960–61, Naulls scored a single-season team record of 1,846 points, averaging 23.4 points per game.[1] The record was broken the following season by teammate Richie Guerin.[10] On March 2, 1962, Naulls scored 31 points and established another team record with his seventh straight game scoring 30 points or more.[8] In that same game, Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain notched his NBA record 100-point game against the Knicks.[1][8] Naulls' 30+ streak stood until 2010, when it was broken by Amar'e Stoudemire.[8]
During the 1962–63 NBA season, the Knicks traded Naulls to the San Francisco Warriors, with whom he played briefly before being traded to the Boston Celtics. Naulls spent his last three professional seasons with the Celtics, winning three consecutive NBA championships in the process.[1] In December 1964 against St. Louis, he replaced an injured Tom Heinsohn to form NBA's first all-black starting lineup along with Russell at center, K. C. and Sam Jones at the guards and Satch Sanders at forward.[1][11] That 1964–65 Celtics team was named one of the 10 best teams in NBA history during the league's 50th anniversary.[12] The 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m) Naulls finished his 10-year NBA career with averages of 15.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.[2]
