William "Dolly" King Inducted in 1991
William "Dolly" King
William "Dolly" King (November 15, 1916 – January 29, 1969) attended Alexander Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, NY. King played was a professional basketball and baseball player. He was one of a handful of African Americans to play in the National Basketball League (NBL), the predecessor of the NBA. King was a multi-sport star at Long Island University during the late 1930s, playing basketball, baseball, and football.
According to Clair Bee, King's coach in football and basketball, King once played an entire college football game and an entire college basketball game on the same day. After college, King played several seasons of professional basketball with the all-black New York Renaissance before Lester Harrison signed him to the NBL's Rochester Royals in 1946. King averaged 4.0 points per game in 41 games with Rochester and participated in the league playoffs.
He played in Negro League baseball from 1944 to 1948, spending time with the Homestead Grays, New York Black Yankees, and New York Cubans. In 1991 his legacy was honored by the basketball family of New York with his induction into the newly formed New York City Basketball of Fame.
According to Clair Bee, King's coach in football and basketball, King once played an entire college football game and an entire college basketball game on the same day. After college, King played several seasons of professional basketball with the all-black New York Renaissance before Lester Harrison signed him to the NBL's Rochester Royals in 1946. King averaged 4.0 points per game in 41 games with Rochester and participated in the league playoffs.
He played in Negro League baseball from 1944 to 1948, spending time with the Homestead Grays, New York Black Yankees, and New York Cubans. In 1991 his legacy was honored by the basketball family of New York with his induction into the newly formed New York City Basketball of Fame.