Photo Credit: ESPN

NBA Legend Willie Naulls Has Passed Away

Yesterday, the NBA lost one of its most important figures in Willie Naulls, who passed away at the age of 84. According to his wife, Dr. Anne Van de Water Naulls, the cause of death was respiratory failure resulting from Churg-Strauss syndrome.

Naulls is a New York Knicks legend and still is 13th on the franchise’s all-time scoring list. He was a four time All-Star and a three time NBA Champion during his time with the Boston Celtics. But what made Naulls even more important for NBA history, is the fact that he is a pinoeer of diversity in sports. During his time with the Knicks, teammates voted for Naulls to become team captain. He then became the first black athlete to be a team’s captain in any major professional sports team.

With news of his passing, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of former Knick, Willie Naulls. A true pioneer, Willie was the first African-American team captain in franchise history and currently 13th on the all-time Knicks scoring list. pic.twitter.com/hv6YsiQ4ER

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 25, 2018

We are saddened by the news of the passing of former Celtic Willie Naulls and our thoughts are with his family. #ForeverGreen ☘️

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 25, 2018