The Planning Commission on Tuesday will consider a request to name the 1000 block of Montgomery Street in Old Town after Alexandria basketball legend Earl Lloyd, the first Black man to ever play in the National Basketball League.
The honorific street name ‘Earl F. Lloyd Way’ would be located in the Parker-Gray neighborhood in the 1000 block of Montgomery Street between N. Patrick Street and N. Henry Street.
The African American Hall of Fame is leading the effort, and is also working to unveil a statue of Lloyd at the at Charles Houston Recreation Center on October 31, which was the day Lloyd played his first official NBA game.
According to the application:
Before the glitz, the glamour, and the glory, before Michael Jordan, before Irvin [Magic] Johnson, before Julius [Doctor] Irvin, before Kareem Abdul Jabbar, before Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain, before basketball as we know it today there was a pioneer, a man who paved the way for all of today’s stars, a man who helped knock down the barriers of racism in the NBA, showing the rest of the world that African Americans know how to play the game of basketball on the highest level.
Lloyd, who was affectionately known as “The Big Cat,” was born in Alexandria in 1928, graduated from Parker-Gray High School, was an All-American basketball player at West Virginia State University and joined the NBA in 1955. He won a national championship five years later with the Syracuse Nationals.
If later approved by City Council, the honorific street name would be added to signage, but “would not change the mailing addresses for lots along the block,” according to a staff report.
Photo via City of Alexandria
Recent Stories
Stunning reno w/resort like amenities on almost 1 acre w/4 car garage; 6BR-5.5BA
Two of Alexandria’s three Democrat mayoral candidates sparred onstage Tuesday night, expressing vastly different ideas on how they would manage city affairs. In the Alexandria Democratic Committee‘s debate hosted by…
If you’ve had trouble getting a spot at Thompson Italian in Old Town, you could be in luck soon. The acclaimed Italian restaurant could be getting a new third-floor expansion…
A new tour will bring locals on a tour around the ‘Lost Buildings’ around the historic Black neighborhoods of the Berg and Parker-Gray. The Berg is a neighborhood around North…
Good news, D.C. area. You can save money on your next home cleaning with Well-Paid Maids. It’s easy!
We offer a discount when you set up recurring cleans — and the discounts just increased this week!
For weekly cleans, get $30 off each cleaning.
Potomac Harmony is Back! Following a gap year of competing, then virtual rehearsals during the pandemic, followed by the well-earned retirement of our long-term director, a year of a director search, Potomac Harmony hit the regional contest stage in Concord, North Carolina in March for the first time since 2018! It was exhilarating, reaffirming, and rewarding!
The chorus hit all of its goals, the biggest of which was to have fun and sing our best on contest stage — we did both! Because we earned a score over 400 points, our new Director, Allison Lynskey, was awarded the Novice Director award, photo above. Additionally, one of our charter members, Jackie Bottash, was nominated for and honored with the Leadership Excellence award. It was a celebratory weekend!
What’s next? So much! We now look forward to upcoming performances, growing our membership, and expanding our musical product with new arrangements and an education component each week. It’s an exciting time to be part of this ever-growing ensemble!
Alexandria NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, DPC to hold City Council…
The Alexandria Branch of the NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, and The Departmental Progressive Club to hold the City Council Candidate Forum for ALL Candidates in the City of Alexandria Virginia. The event is Free of Charge and Open to The
