El Primero: The story of the first Hispanic player in the NBA 

I looked this up so randomly and I’ve never been so happy to see that the first Puerto Rican nba player was Afro Latino 🙌🏾

Love my 🇲🇽🇵🇷 heritage. Mark Aguirre first ever 🇲🇽🇺🇸 NBA player as well with 🇵🇷 Butch Lee.

Puerto Ricans are trail blazers.🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷😎

Butch was great very nice humble guy we lived 8 blocks from each other and we use to speak back in the 70's i played a lot of street ball but i never played against Lee, great guy God bless him

If that hug that magic gave butch lee after winning the title today, it would've gone viral.

Grew up in the same neighborhood as Butch, watched him play in the local tournaments. I wanted to see that match up between him and Carlton Green another city legend.

Butch is THE only cat to win a New York City Public School, NCAA and NBA Title!

When he would takeover the game in college I remember the TV analysts always saying "It's Butch Lee time"

1st Afro-Boricua 🇵🇷 to play in the NBA

Alfred “Butch” Lee was an amazing player. He came to our Island 🌴 and immediately won a championship. With the Rio Piedras Cardinals. A point guard that manage the game real well. He coached my hometown team the Arecibo Captains in 1992. And put my hometown team back on the map by taken them to the finals. I was so glad and honor that he coached my hometown Arecibo. So not only was he good as a Basketball player, but also as a coach. NBA: Being drafted the first Puertorican born in the NBA is an honor that he will always treasure all his life. Butch didn’t last that long in the NBA because he had a tougher competition, the NBA players in the 70’s were too good! But if we could run the clock backwards Butch Lee will be burning the league he will be a superstar! Because the NBA league today is garbage. Top 4 Greatest Puertorican Basketball players ever: 1)Raymond Dalmau 2)Neftali Rivera 3)Hector Blondet 4)Alfred “Butch” Lee

Butch Lee was money. He was the Pearl before the Pearl. He was unstoppable. Remember that power 3-Jerome Whitehead, Bo Ellis and Butch Lee. Their NCAA dreams dreams came true. Since then, Marquette had big time talent, Dwayne Wade, Doc Rivers, Maurice Lucas, and many more.

Beautiful. .Gracias

Butch was born in Puerto Rico, his parents were African-American. To label him Hispanic (the white man's term) or Latino is incorrect, because his CULTURE is that of an African-American. Now he has earned the love of the Puertorican community, by simply being who he is, a WONDERFUL human being! You simply have to love how he humbled Dean Smith back in the Olympics & the NCAA Tournament!

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Stop hating he's Puerto Rican! Undeniably a Blackman but Boricua nonetheless-get over it haters!🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇦🇫🇦🇫🇦🇫🇦🇫🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

Amen.....about time!

Butch Lee is known for two big things, 1) Marquette's 1977 NCAA Championship, and 2) the 1976 Montreal Olympics where he scored all those points for Puerto Rico. Al McGuire's team lost 3 in a row at home that year, but he knew he had a chance in the tournament with Butch and several good big men.

If I wasn't for his health getting in the way, could have been among the greatest short NBA players.

Orgullo boricua

y fue boricua!

First latino basketball player 💯🇨🇺👍

LIKE OR NOT TO MANYS BUTCH IS PUERTORICAN AND PROUDTO BE. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

Boricua 🇵🇷💪❤️

Saw him played in the Pan American Games back in the 70's.

Incredible. God is real & good. God Bless you Butch Lee and love to you and your love ones from NY2CA and the Rich Port of Puerto Rico 🇵🇷. Amazing story inspirational career. Much love❤family. It’s a Beautiful day. JL

He's awesome

1977 Ncaa champion 1980 nba champion Rucker Park legend

Other countries. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. We are Americans but when it comes to the Olympics we represent both sides even though we love to represent as Puerto Rican.

Hay que conocer la historia para saber la verdad de los acontecimientos.

The best way to sum up Butch, Solid!

That '76 US team had Butch Lee's teammate from Dewitt Clinton High, Steve "The Bear" Shepherd!

Love to butch, Latinos in the house

Butch Lee - Marquette BasQuetteball! 1977 NCAA Champions!

When I grew up the best thing was going to Palisades Park in NJ !!! But in West 134th street between Amsterdam and Broadway and went to the Annunciation Catholic School in131st Street Convent Ave. Played Basketball in PS131 outside court ! Then went to Bishop Dubois in w153rd Amsterdam Ave! 🆒🆒🆒

¡EXCELENTE!

Butch Lee was a New York power guard like Vinnie Johnson was for Detroit a decade later.

Respect big boss

Reminds of the NBA version of Carlos Delgado

awesome

Foto Econica que se vera por toda la vida. Gracias Butch por darle tanta Gloria a PR. Nunca te olvidaremos.

Good all player,went to J H S. 139 ,Dewitt Clinton HS went to school with him. Grew up on 148 st.

Kareem looked taller than 7'2" !!!??? I can imagine what the African 7'6' Motombo must have looked when in NBA with Philadelphia !??? But as I said Dominique flew over Motombo's defense and a top of the board high in the face never seen in Africa Dunk !🆒😀♥️🇵🇷🇺🇸⭐ With Dock Rivers and Kevin Willis ! My first team was Head Coach Red Holtzman ,Cassie Russell,Dave Debaucher, Mike Riorden, Phil Jackson ,Earl the Pearl Monroe ,Willis Reed and last but not least Walt Clyde Frazier ! Them dayz another Frazier was in town !!! Smokin Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali !

A Young John Thompson in the background!!!!!!

Very strange Rolando Blackman from Panama was not mentioned, one of the greatest.

Rolando Blackman is Panamanian, used to play for the Mavericks and the Knicks.

🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷 Boricua hasta la muerte coño

Great story I never new about him ... And never Would've took him 4 being Hispanic but that's the beauty of 2days world any color can be a certain ethnicity now ... I've seen black German so yea times have changed but I'm not mad or hating ... The most beautiful people in the world are usually mixed race... Sad how its like this and yet racism still exist ... But racism wouldn't exist if it weren't 4 classism ... Money is the reason 4 hate ... But the NBA never discriminates on race ... And neither does God who gives you that NBA talent ... So a lot of NBA greats coming out of the U.S.

College national champion!!!!!!!!!! Dale Puneta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Erick, excellent work. How did you get the file clips from the papers?

Yo creo que el primer Español fue Walace Bryant, pivot center de 2, 14 metros nacido en la base aerea norteamericana de Torrejon de Ardoz (Madrid).

Man all cant be mixed

In what year was that USA vs PR game???? THANKS

Butch Lee speaks English like a Puerto Rican...

Honestly threw me off when I found out that he was from PR. I was 'huh'?

WEEEEEEEEEPPPPAAAAAAAAA!!!

This is old to me. I 💘 it to see a latino repent

First Latino really, know the different between Hispanic and Latino…hint, Spaniards are Hispanic not Latino. Understand the difference

[FLVR] ✊🏾🥑

Hes not Hispanic hes not Puerto Rican hes African American he said it

Haters

Puertorico for a small island we beat teams the we were not suppose too jj barea dallas Carlos arroyo,pr power.

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Or hispanic

Kareem Abdul Jabar was the first!

He's black not Hispanic

Puerto Ricans are not international players, they are Equally Americans...

I called and the person on the other end answered delusional. This a not matriculating lothino.

Orgulloso de el,pero el no es Hispano

The Spanish from Spain are not Latinos or Hispanics so please do not put us together at all.

Looks like a Black man to me :)

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