NBA pioneer Earl Lloyd could be honored on postage stamp

Earl Lloyd was a pioneer in the NBA.

In 1950, he became the first black player to suit up in an NBA game for the Washington Capitols. He went on to have a decent career - averaging 8.4 points in nine seasons with the Capitols, Syracuse Nationals, and Detroit Pistons - before becoming the league's first black assistant coach, and only its second black head coach, with the Pistons in 1971.

In 2003, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Lloyd passed away in February at the age of 86, and his son Kevin is now spearheading an effort to have Earl commemorated on a U.S. postage stamp.

"I think that it's something that is well deserved for my father," Kevin Lloyd told the Philadelphia Tribune.

If approved, Lloyd would be only the second basketball player to appear on a U.S. stamp. The late Wilt Chamberlain was honored last year. The process is quite arduous, with a citizens' advisory committee screening submissions before approval from the Postmaster General.

To date, Lloyd's petition has gained support from several NBA players, and an endorsement from the Players' Association.