Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton

October 13, 1922 – August 31, 1990

Professional basketball player

One of the first three African-American players in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton was actually the first under official contract to play in the league. He was a "first" in another way as well: he might be considered the NBA's first black star. While Chuck Cooper and Earl Lloyd, Clifton's African-American contemporaries who integrated the NBA in the year 1950, were low-key, low-profile players, Clifton was a popular figure and a born entertainer who delighted fans with his feats on the court. Some said that had he come of age in the era of multimillion-dollar endorsement deals, he would have scored big with his public-friendly personality and become a rich man.

A player who spent some years in all-black leagues before coming to the NBA, Clifton avoided divulging his age. He is reported to have been born in England, Arkansas, on October 13, 1922. Clifton's family moved to Chicago when he was eight. His birth name was Clifton Nathaniel, but after he became a high school star in Chicago he reversed the two names when sportswriters complained that the last name Nathaniel was too long to fit in a headline. The nickname "Sweetwater" (or "Sweets") is often reported to have derived from his fondness for soft drinks, but the truth revealed more about the life of Southern black migrants in Chicago: since the family often couldn't afford soft drinks, Clifton would fill bottles with water and then pour sugar into them.

Standing over 6-foot, 7-inches tall and weighing 235 pounds, Clifton dominated his opponents while playing on the basketball team at Chicago's DuSable High School. His hands spanned ten inches, and he could pick up and palm a basketball as easily as others might handle a tennis ball. In the city championship semifinals in his senior year of 1942, he scored 45 points, blowing away the former tournament record of 24. The Chicago Daily News called him one of the two greatest high school basketball players in Illinois history. He also played softball on a team called the Gas House Gang.

Clifton played one season at Xavier University in New Orleans before being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944. He served for three years in Europe and then turned professional on his return home, becoming the first black player to join the Dayton Metropolitans and then playing for the all-black New York Rens. In July of 1948 Clifton signed with the Harlem Globetrotters, the legendary African-American masters of razzle-dazzle basketball. The Globetrotters were at the peak of their fame and influence, touring the world and drawing thousands for exhibition games at which they often defeated all-white NBA squads. Clifton was signed for a reported annual salary of $10,000—said to be the highest salary paid to a black basketball player up to that time.

For a while it wasn't clear which major-league sport Clifton would play in first. Baseball scouts were well aware of the power he had shown on Chicago softball diamonds, and while he was with the Globetrotters he played for three seasons in major league baseball's farm system. In 1950, playing for the AA-level team in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he hit .304 with an impressive 86 runs batted in. Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein began looking for chances to unload his restless star property.

That chance came in the summer of 1950, after the Boston Celtics had drafted Chuck Cooper and officially broken the NBA's color line. After a stretch of negotiations, Saperstein sold Clifton's contract to the New York Knickerbockers for $12,500, of which Clifton pocketed $2,500. In today's world of stratospheric salaries this would be considered a raw deal, and Clifton had questions even at the time. He was also upset after discovering that the white all-stars against whom the Globetrotters played exhibition games were paid better than the 'Trotters themselves. But he remained on good enough terms with Saperstein to continue to play for the Globetrotters during the NBA off-season.

Early life
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, (according to the Social Security Administration death records, he was born Clifton Nathaniel. Clifton was given the "Sweetwater" nickname as a boy because of his love of soft drinks. His family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he became an outstanding basketball and baseball player at DuSable High School, graduating in 1942. He attended Xavier University of Louisiana and then served with the United States Army for three years, fighting for his country in Europe during World War II.

Early pro sports career
After the war, Sweetwater Clifton joined the New York Rens, an all-black professional basketball team that toured throughout the United States. Noted for his large hands, which required a size 14 glove, he was invited to join the Harlem Globetrotters, for whom he played from the summer of 1948 to the spring of 1950. Still a talented baseball first baseman, during the basketball off-season in 1949 Clifton played for the Chicago American Giants in Negro League baseball. By 1950, his performance with the Globetrotters, in particular his exceptional ball handling ability, led to his becoming the first African American player to sign a contract with an NBA team.

NBA career
Already 27 when he made his debut as a member of the New York Knicks, in his first season Clifton helped lead the team to its first-ever appearance in the NBA finals. During his eight seasons in the NBA, Clifton averaged 10 points and 9 rebounds per game. He was named to the 1957 NBA All-Star team, scoring 8 points in 23 minutes in the game. At age 34, he became the oldest player in NBA history to be named an All-Star.

In 1957, Clifton was part of a multi-player trade between the Knicks and the Detroit Pistons, but after one season in Detroit he retired from basketball. In the summer of 1958, he joined the Detroit Clowns baseball team in the Negro Leagues, along with his former Harlem Globetrotters teammate Reece "Goose" Tatum.

In 1961, he was coaxed out of retirement by the Chicago Majors of the fledgling American Basketball League (ABL). After the league folded at the end of 1962, the 40-year-old Clifton retired permanently.

Honors and charitable work
Clifton's contributions to his community during his sporting career and after his playing days have been recognized by the Associated Black Charities of New York City. They have honored him by naming one of the Black History Maker Awards the Nathaniel 'Sweetwater' Clifton Award. In 2005, the New York Knicks basketball team re-named their monthly "City Spirit Award" in his honor. The Sweetwater Clifton City Spirit Award is given to a member of the community who goes above and beyond his or her normal duties to make the lives of others in the tri-state area better.

On his passing in 1990, Sweetwater Clifton was interred in the Restvale Cemetery in the Chicago suburb of Alsip.

See also
Chuck Cooper (basketball) and Earl Lloyd, also among the first African American players in the NBA in 1950

BasketballReference.com: Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton stats
Nat Clifton stats at Sports Pool website

Martin Guigui Director/Writer/Musician

Biography:

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, son of famed Symphony Orchestra Conductor Efrain Guigui, Martin grew up in New York, Puerto Rico and Vermont. He began his film career while a student at Hofstra University and soon thereafter won several festival awards for his shorts and documentary films. Guigui directed and produced music driven documentaries about the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and Sun Ra. He worked as a sound engineer at ABC News and enjoyed acting stints, co-starring in the indie cult classic Tangents (1994). Guigui then wrote his first feature film, My X-Girlfriend's Wedding Reception and went on to direct and star in the quirky comedy starring Dom DeLuise and Deborah Gibson. Tooted as the "Spinal Tap of wedding receptions", My X-Girlfriend's Wedding Reception won critical acclaim in the Festival circuit, garnering "Audience favorite" awards at The Palm Springs International Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and The Temecula International Film Festival. A grounding quality of Martin Guigui's heart and soul is his extensive musical background. As a pianist and Hammond B-3 player, he has performed beside James Cotton, Joan Osborne, Bo Didley, Don McClean and Sandra Wright to name a few. Among others he has opened with his own group for Eddie Money, Talking Heads, Mathew Sweet, Steve Forbert, James Cotton and NRBQ and has produced The Slip, Jim Infintino, Jamie Lee Thurston, Gordon Stone, Chad, The Jalopeno Brothers and classical pianist Fritz Steinegger. Guigui has built a reputation as a skilled composer whose work has appeared in Independent Films, Network Television, and National Radio. He also wrote music for children's programming, has received numerous Billboard Awards for his songwriting, ASCAP Performance Awards, has been recognized by the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences, is the proud recipient of a Caesar Award for his contribution as a Hispanic to the arts in America and was honored by the City of Los Angeles for his contributions to arts education. Guigui is CEO and President of Sunset Pictures and also founded Sunset Artists, a music publisher and Old School Records, a music label. Guigui is the co-founder of FTFF (The First Time Film Festival), which in a partnership with Landmark Theatres, is held in Los Angeles every Spring showcasing first time feature filmmakers from around the world.
Written by: Rita Hollingsworth

Casting Basketball players for studio feature film “Sweetwater” (LA)

This Casting Call filed in: Casting Calls in Hollywood, CA

Casting basketball players for studio feature film “Sweetwater” (LA)

PROJECT: “SWEETWATER”
CASTING CALL CATEGORY: FEATURE FILM
LOCATION: SANTA MONICA, CA

When: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER14th
Anytime Between 9 am and 6 pm

Where: Memorial Park Gym
1401 Olympic Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Details:
SportsArc LLC is the premiere sports consultation firm in the film industry. The company is currently casting REAL basketball players for roles in the upcoming feature film, “Sweetwater”. (Males only.) The film will shoot in and around the Los Angeles area in December and January. The film is a period piece and basketball players should be “era-friendly” for the late 1940’s to the late 1950’s. For more information please call the SportsArc Casting Office at (213) 613-2750. The casting call WILL include a full basketball tryout. Please arrive in basketball gear and shoes and be ready to playfcc upon arrival.

PROJECT: “SWEETWATER”

CASTING CALL CATEGORY: FEATURE FILM

LOCATION: SANTA MONICA, CA

CONTACT: SPORTSARC – (213) 613-2750

Wood Harris Cast As Basketball Great Nathaniel 'Sweetwater' Clifton

With basketball season almost over as the NBA Finals are ongoing, it's the perfect time to announce who will be playing basketball great Nathaniel 'Sweetwater' Clifton in the biopic. According to director Martin Guigui's MovieSet blog, actor Wood Harris has been selected to play the first African American to play in the NBA.

Harris, who played the memorable Baltimore drug czar Avon Barksdale on HBO's The Wire, is no stranger to playing basketball on film. While attending NYU film school, Wood landed his first major film role in the basketball drama 'Above The Rim' starring opposite Duane Martin, Marlon Wayans and the late Tupac Shakur. He also played a high school player in Malcolm D. Lee's short film, 'Morningside Prep'.

Writer-director Martin Guigui has spent a decade working on this film and now that he's found his star, all the pieces should start coming together.

According to wikipedia, Sweetwater Clifton joined the New York Rens, an all-black professional basketball team that toured throughout the United States. Noted for his large hands, which required a size 14 glove, after one season he was invited to join the Harlem Globetrotters with which he would play from the fall of 1947 to the spring of 1950. Still a talented baseball first baseman, during the basketball off-season in 1949 Clifton played for the Chicago American Giants in Negro League baseball. By 1950, his performance with the Globetrotters, in particular his exceptional ball handling ability, led to his becoming the first African American player to sign a contract with an NBA team.

Already 27 when he made his debut as a member of the New York Knicks, in his first season Clifton helped lead the team to its first-ever appearance in the NBA finals. During his eight seasons in the NBA, Clifton averaged 10 points and 9 rebounds per game. He was named to the 1957 NBA All-Star team, scoring 8 points in 23 minutes in the game. At age 34, he became the oldest player in NBA history to be named an All-Star.

Sweetwater's tale of NBA integration to hit silver screen

Steve Aschburner of the NBA.

Truth be told, Martin Guigui had an ulterior motive when he took a detour on his drive from Burlington, Vt., to New York to play a gig with his band. This was in April 1996, back in his days as a professional musician. "It also gave me a chance to visit a real pretty girl I knew who lived not far from there," Guigui said recently, laughing.

But he had seen a billboard along Rte. 91, too, advertising the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. So as a lifelong hoops fan -- his father Efrain was a symphony orchestra conductor who took him to some championship-era Knicks games at Madison Square Garden -- with a few hours to burn, Guigui veered toward the game's shrine. As he walked through the museum, though, a piece of his favorite team's history seemed conspicuous in its absence.
There was nothing to be found, he said, on Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton, the first African-American to sign an NBA contract and one of the league's black pioneers in its integration year of 1950-51.

That struck Guigui as wrong, given how pivotal that season was for pro basketball and, by extension, the culture. All thanks to Clifton, Chuck Cooper (first black player to be drafted), Earl Lloyd (first black player to appear in an NBA game) and Hank DeZonie, who carried with varying degrees of success in 1950-51 the same flag Jackie Robinson lugged by his lonesome in 1947 in breaking baseball's color barrier.

Fast-forward 14 years: Now Guigui is established in Hollywood as a filmmaker. He has written, acted, composed, produced and directed, working in one or more capacities with the likes of Faye Dunaway, Tom Skerritt, Jacqueline Bisset and Jonathan Winters. Among his directing credits are the romantic comedy "Changing Hearts" (2002), a musical fantasy "Swing" (2003) and "Cattle Call" (2006) in the National Lampoon film series. Throughout, the native of Argentina has nurtured his vision for a Clifton story from a book proposal to a possible documentary to what he calls now his passion project: "Sweetwater."

With a little luck, some stable financing and the blessing of the NBA, Guigui's project could be shot, edited and distributed in time for the 50th anniversary season of Clifton's, Cooper's, Lloyd's and DeZonie's excellent (and brave) adventure.

"If somebody would have told me it would take 14 years. Man, how crazy is that?" Guigui said. "I realized this was a great New York story, kind of an ode to the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden. Little by little, I developed it. I did tons of research. I interviewed ballplayers who were still alive, reporters. It was just a process of trying to accumulate the truth, trying to find out what really happened."

About five years ago, through various contacts and acquaintances, the NBA got involved. Guigui met with now-deputy commissioner Adam Silver, who directed him to Zelda Spoelstra, dubbed by Guigui as "the gatekeeper of historical accuracy." A revered longtime employee at NBA headquarters, Spoelstra had been hired in 1951 as commissioner Maurice Podoloff's administrative assistant. So she'd had a ringside seat to the league's integration.

"We began working closely on the screenplay," the writer-director said. "They brought a lot of information to it -- my mantra was 'keep it true' -- and they helped me hone in on that."
David Denenberg, senior vice president of legal and business affairs for NBA Entertainment, has handled most of the recent contact with Guigui.

"He certainly has been very passionate about this project," Denenberg said. "Martin has been good to work with in terms of the authenticity suggestions we had. It's a great story. It's one that, it will be nice if it ever gets told. My last conversation with Martin was, they had found some additional funding and it was moving forward."

Clifton, for the uninitiated, was a 6-foot-6 center-forward who grew up in Chicago, attended Xavier University in New Orleans and was playing for the Harlem Globetrotters when the Knicks found themselves in short supply of big men. He was said to have extremely long arms, massive hands, good leaping ability and strength, and a nose for rebounding and defense. Clifton reportedly yearned to give up the Globetrotters' heavy road schedule and workload -- this was before the Washington Generals were created as the Trotters' nightly patsies, so the various teams they faced actually tried hard to beat them -- and earn a little more than the $600 monthly or so that Harlem team owner Abe Saperstein paid.

College basketball already was integrated, so it seemed more a matter of when rather than if the NBA would follow. Still, it took the right players at the right time.

"Sweetwater Clifton was someone who helped revolutionize the game," Guigui said. "It was a spectacular, barrier-breaking year. What Earl Lloyd said one time was, 'The three of us did something very important for the game and for the culture.' "

Lloyd, a forward from West Virginia State, was drafted by the Washington Capitols in the ninth round and made his rookie debut on Halloween 1950, one night before Cooper took the court with Boston. The 6-foot-5 player, nicknamed Moon Fixer, averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in nine seasons and, after a military term and shift to Syracuse, became the first African-American to win an NBA title (1955).

Cooper, the Celtics' second-round pick from Duquesne, averaged 6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in six NBA seasons (and is not to be confused with Charles T. Cooper, who starred for the all-black New York Renaissance in the 1930s and was enshrined at the Hall in 1977).

Clifton, already 28 by the time he reached the NBA, averaged 10.0 points and 8.2 rebounds. Much of it was on raw ability, because he said later he felt hamstrung by coach Joe Lapchick's style and teammates who played too "straight."

"Sweetwater would always argue that he was the African-American who changed the game," Guigui said. "He was an incredible athlete and a charming guy, soft-spoken. But on the court, he was an animal, a force to be reckoned with. Some of the footage that we've researched and passed onto our actors to study, this guy could throw a ball against a backboard, jump up and slam it. That dunk Tracy McGrady did a few All-Star games ago, we have footage of Sweetwater doing that in the '50s."

Then there was the off-court drama that swirled around the NBA's black pioneer players. "It was a time in this country when an African-American couldn't walk into a restaurant or a hotel and be given a fair shake," Guigui said.

Like a lot of commercial operations, the NBA wasn't listening only to its social conscience either.
"Ultimately, it was a 6-5 vote -- there were some owners who didn't understand and fought it vehemently," he said. "It's no secret -- and we have the minutes of those meetings in 1950 -- that there were people putting their fists down, saying, 'You're going to ruin this game' by letting black players play in this league. The word 'black' wasn't in play yet -- it was 'Negro,' it was 'colored.'

"It might have been political pressure. Or it might have been [Knicks owner] Ned Irish saying, 'I'm going to pull the Knicks out (of the league), then what do you got? The Fort Wayne Pistons?' But ultimately, the NBA did the right thing."

Through the project's false starts, Guigui has tried to hold together his cast and crew, including Oscar-nominated cinematographer and frequent Clint Eastwood collaborator Jack N. Green. Actors include James Caan as Irish, Bruce McGill as Podoloff, Ed Lauter as Lapchick and Smokey Robinson as Sweetwater's father, with Danny DeVito a possibility to play Saperstein.
Casting the lead role was trickier, of course, because of the basketball scenes. Nothing sinks a sports movie faster than lousy game action, yet a director who opts for a true athlete invariably gives up something on the thespian side. Finally, after much searching, Guigui found a leading man who wouldn't require that compromise.

"I auditioned, over the course of two years on both coasts, close to 300 basketball players," he said. "I also had players come from Europe, from South America. And Wood Harris' gifts as an actor and his athletic ability give him the tools to play the role authentically with no 'stunt player.' Wood will play basketball because he's that good and, as an actor, his chops are phenomenal."

Harris probably is best known for his role as Avon Barksdale in the HBO series, "The Wire." Lloyd will be played by Caleeb Pinkett, Cooper by Jerrod Paige. But then, "Sweetwater" will require a lot of players and Guigui, a 10-year veteran player in the show-biz centric E League in L.A., said he and his staff sifted through nearly 700 prospects.

"You can imagine what we were looking for: A lot of white guys, not in great shape with no tattoos," he said. "That got rid of about half of them."

The training and choreography of the hoops action is being handled by SportsArc, a company that makes game play look as real as possible for film and television ("Semi-Pro," "Friday Night Lights"). Then the onus is on Guigui to make it all look real and athletic, even in 1950s terms. After all, he estimated that about 25 percent of "Sweetwater" will be basketball scenes, a portion that is bigger than it might seem.

Guigui's solution for making the court footage look "organic" and flow? The first time he says "Action!" for a scene, the actors will simply start hooping. Then Guigui will call "Action!" again, signaling the start of the scene and any dialogue or dramatics. "We'll film it all with multiple cameras," he said, so sequences don't look staged or static. "I've seen it work already in rehearsals," Guigui said.

The goal for now is to call "Action!" for real, for once, on this movie. Guigui has, he believes, the financing in place for his $12 million budget. The NBA, while not providing funding, is on board with licensing and marketing. Guigui hopes to start shooting in L.A. in March or April, with sneak previews by the end of the year and an optimistic release perhaps during Black History Month in 2011.

Late in our phone chat, I asked him to name both his favorite basketball film and the one he considers to be best. His answers: "Hoop Dreams" and "Hoosiers," respectively. "I hope some day I can say `Sweetwater' to both of those," Guigui added.

Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA for 25 years. You can e-mail him here.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.

Basketball movie to be shot in Winnipeg

Winnipeg-area basketball players have a chance to star in a feature film about the NBA.
The story, about the first black player to join the league, Nathaniel (Sweetwater) Clifton, is being made into a movie that will be shot in Winnipeg. Set in the 1950s, the movie begins shooting in April, but the company in charge of recruiting players to fill out the cast is putting out the call now.

'It was the Globetrotter era. It was the very beginning of show time basketball.'— Brendan Kirsch, Sportsarc

"We are going to cast the basketball players from Winnipeg, from the Winnipeg area, because we quite frankly believe that in a sports movie it's easier to teach an athlete how to act than an actor how to perform a sport," said Brendan Kirsch, CEO of Sportsarc, which has worked on more than 20 feature films and 200 episodes of TV.

Kirsch said he's looking for 65 players of all abilities, more tall and lean than muscular, between the ages of 18 and 34.

"Basketball back then . . . everybody was much more lean rather than huge and muscular and you know the kind of athlete we have today. So it was just a different look," said Kirsch. "It was a lot of long hair, a lot of buzz cuts, and you know, it was the [Harlem] Globetrotter era. It was the very beginning of show time basketball."

Anyone interested in taking part of the film, which will be called Sweetwater, can pre-register on Sportsarc's website, www.sportsarc.net.Read more:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/story/2009/02/18/basketball-movie-winnipeg.html#ixzz0txIw8x67

Basketball Movie Set to Film in Winnipeg

As you can probably tell from my previous posts, I’m a huge basketball fan… so I can’t even start to explain the excitement I felt when I heard that a movie about the NBA will be filmed in Winnipeg! The best part? Winnipeg-area basketball players will have a chance to be part of it!
The movie is called Sweetwater and is set in the 1950s. It follows the life of Nathaniel (Sweetwater) Clifton, the first black player to join the NBA. The star-studded cast includes Mira Sorvino, James Caan, Kevin Pollak, and Smokey Robinson.

Shooting doesn’t begin until April but local casting calls have already begun.
“We are going to cast the basketball players from Winnipeg, from the Winnipeg area, because we quite frankly believe that in a sports movie it’s easier to teach an athlete how to act than an actor how to perform a sport,” – Brendan Kirsch, CEO of Sportsarc

They are looking for 65 players of all abilities, more tall and lean than muscular, between the ages of 18 and 34.

“Basketball back then . . . everybody was much more lean rather than huge and muscular and you know the kind of athlete we have today. So it was just a different look. It was a lot of long hair, a lot of buzz cuts, and you know, it was the Globetrotter era. It was the very beginning of show time basketball.”

Anyone fitting the description above and interested in being part of the movie can register at the SportsArc website.

SOURCE
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