William "Pop" Gates was a renowned American professional basketball player, born on August 30, 1917, in Decatur, Alabama. He spent his early years in New York, New York, where he attended high school and later played college basketball at Clark Atlanta University.
Gates' remarkable basketball career began in 1938-39 with the Harlem Renaissance, a team based in New York City. He made his professional debut in October 1946 with the Blackhawks, becoming one of the first two African-American players in the NBL, alongside William "Dolly" King. This milestone marked a significant moment in the history of racial integration in professional basketball, as it was seven months before Jackie Robinson made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Gates' impressive career continued as he played for and coached the Harlem Globetrotters. Notably, he was part of the Benjamin Franklin High School championship team in 1938 and later won the World Professional Championship with the Rens in 1939, making him one of the few athletes to achieve this feat.
Gates' outstanding contributions to the sport of basketball earned him numerous accolades, including his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1989.
