Charlie Scott, this week’s star of the “Sports Legends of the Carolinas” series, was the first Black basketball player on scholarship at the University of North Carolina. In many ways, he was the Tar Heels’ version of baseball player Jackie Robinson, dealing with the racism inherent in that time period while gracefully excelling in his sport. The way Scott handled himself during those turbulent times so impressed then-UNC student Roy Williams that, when he and his wife later had their only son, they named him "Scott."
An All-American at UNC in 1969 and 1970, Charlie Scott won a gold medal in the 1968 Olympics, an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 1976, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. In Part 1 of our conversation, he discusses his path from New York to Chapel Hill; dealing with abusive fans at away games; and how success on the court translated to acceptance off of it.
In Part 2 of our conversation, Scott looks back at the historic Black power salute by American sprinters at the '68 Olympic Games, why he thinks the ‘80s were the true golden age of the NBA, and the most important lesson legendary UNC coach Dean Smith ever taught him. For that, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts.
Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .
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