The presence of black basketball players in the NBA is taken for granted today, but two generations ago black men and women who were paid to play the game were confined to joining all-black touring teams that traveled the country cheaply in buses and cars. Often these early professional teams had to play in dance halls or YMCA gyms. The players had no insur., no sneaker contracts, no agents, and no endorsements, and only a few black-owned newspapers covered their games. Today, basketball is the most popular sport among America's youth, and 2/3 of the NBA players are black. Here is the story of those black pioneers of professional basketball who paved the way for today's multimillion-dollar contracts and personalized shoes. B&W photos.