About Don Barksdale
Donald Argee Barksdale was an American professional basketball player. He was a pioneer as an African-American basketball player, becoming the first to be named NCAA All-American, the first to play on a United States men's Olympic basketball team, and the first to play in a National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Barksdale owned one of only two black-owned record stores in Los Angeles during his time in UCLA. Barksdale became the first African-American to play against Kentucky in Lexington. He became the first African American to be named consensus All-American. He joined the team at the 1948 Summer Olympics, and became the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal in basketball.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.