YouTube Gold: Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton
A man who was ahead of his time
When former Duke star and current LA Lakers coach JJ Redick made his infamous crack about old players being “plumbers and firefighters” it really had an impact. Bob Cousy, one of the last of the original era of NBA players, was offended. Jerry West found it ludicrous. We can’t imagine that Bob Pettit, now 92, much liked it either.
But while it irritated old school fans, it did sort of place a marker and when you see older players, you kind of have to wonder: where do they stand? Could they play today?
Our basic argument here is that human capacities haven’t changed much in the last 75 years or so. What has changed is conditioning, nutrition, equipment (especially shoes) and technology.
And of course the game is far more refined athletically.
Which brings us to Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton.
One of the very earliest NBA players and one of the first Black players to break the color line, Clifton shows some really intriguing skills here.
The biggest thing that makes it clear he’s from a different era is the set shot, but remember that it was taught and expected by coaches from that era.
Watch his passing and ball handling though. At 6-8, Clifton clearly was ahead of his time.