SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Earl Lloyd, the first black man to play in an NBA game, college coach Forrest Anderson and sporting goods executive Grady Lewis are being considered for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Lloyd, a first-time finalist, and Lewis and Anderson, who have been nominated previously, were proposed Thursday by the Veterans Committee.

Other nominations for the Hall of Fame will be announced next week.

Lloyd was one of four blacks drafted by NBA teams in 1950. Lloyd, taken out of West Virginia State by the Washington Capitols, was the first to get into a game when the Rochester Royals defeated the Capitols 78-70 on Oct. 31, 1950. He scored six points.

He also played for the Syracuse Nationals and Detroit Pistons, winning an NBA championship with Syracuse in 1955. In 1968, he became the first black assistant coach in the league with Detroit and was named head coach in 1971.

Anderson, who died in 1999, coached Bradley to the NIT and NCAA finals in 1950, losing both championship games to CCNY. He also led Bradley to the NCAA finals in 1954 and Michigan State to the NCAA semifinals in 1957. He coached at Drake and Hiram College and concluded his 25-year career in 1971 by leading Peru to second place in the South American Championship.

Lewis, who is credited with developing the low-cut canvas basketball shoe, played for three Basketball Association of America teams, including the 1948 champion Baltimore Bullets. He later coached in the league, which preceded the NBA.

As a salesman for Converse, Lewis worked to come up with the stylish low-cut sneakers players wanted. The difficulty, he said, was a design that would stay on during a game. He cut the tops off hundreds of sneakers before he came up with a successful pair for the Harlem Globetrotters.

Lewis became senior vice president of Converse and developed the company's extensive program of clinics and films for high school players and coaches.

To be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, a nominee needs 18 votes from the 24-member Honors Committee. The inductees are to be announced in June.