Yearbook photo of Naulls originally published before 1978 without a copyright notice in the 1956 UCLA yearbook, Southern Campus.
William Dean Naulls
Born: October 7, 1934, Dallas, TX
Death: November 22, 2018, Laguna Niguel, CA
Willie Dean Naulls was an American professional basketball player. In 1986, he became a member of UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame. Further on, Naulls was the first African American to become a captain for the New York Knicks. When he played for the Boston Celtics, Naulls was part of the first all-black starting lineup in NBA history. In his career, he won three consecutive NBA championships and was a four-time NBA All Star. After his basketball career, he started the Willie Naulls Ministries, a religious ministry that teaches hope and promotes the importance of academic, spiritual, and physical achievement. Naulls died at age 84 from respiratory failure due to Churg-Strauss Syndrome.