Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton was the first African-American to sign a contract with the National Basketball Association (NBA), but that didn’t happen until 1950 and it wasn’t an easy road.

The 2023 movie Sweetwater tells that story. Born in 1922, he had started playing basketball at Xavier College in Louisiana before going into the Army. After he returned, he “became the first African American to play for the Dayton Metropolitans, then played for the all-black New York Rens and the legendary all-Black Harlem Globetrotters.” (andscape.com) A talented athlete, he even spent a summer playing first base for the Chicago American Giants in the Negro Leagues in 1949. (nba.com)

Clifton’s legacy as the first African American to play in the NBA paved the way for future generations of black players. In May 1950, he signed with the New York Knicks, becoming the first African-American to sign an NBA deal.

Despite facing racial discrimination and prejudice, he persevered and left a lasting impact on the sport, becoming a role model for many aspiring Black athletes.

In Sweetwater, we see Clifton (Everett Osborne) play his first game with four fouls before winning with a slam dunk. His teammates cheer loudly as he high-fives them, feeling proud of his accomplishment. The victory gives him a boost of confidence for the rest of the season. The victory was a great start for his basketball career, and he continued to improve his skills over time. He later became one of the most successful players in the league.

The movie was released nationwide in theaters on Friday, April 14.

Although the movie received low approval ratings from Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert and other professional reviewers, I felt that the movie was excellent and vividly depicted the diversity of the globe at the time. I believe it sheds some insight on the matter; hence, I give the film an 8 out of 10. It was highly original, as well as very inspirational and fascinating. The movie did a good job of demonstrating that not everyone in a varied world is also prejudiced.