BLACK HISTORY MONTH—Following an illustrious Columbia basketball career, three-time All-American Jim McMillan became the first Black Ivy League player to be selected in the first round of the National Basketball Association Draft when he was taken by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1970. He went on to a nine-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Buffalo Braves and Portland Trailblazers.
 
Born in North Carolina, but raised in Brooklyn, McMillian was New York City All-City selection and a high school All-American at Thomas Jefferson High. A highly sought-after talent, he received offers from regional powers St. John's and Providence, among many other schools, but chose to attend Columbia – where he would make Ivy League history.
 
In his sophomore season of 1967-68, McMillian was the star of the Lions team that finished 23-5 and won the Ivy League Championship. He guided Columbia to the Holiday Festival title in Madison Square Garden, defeating West Virginia, Louisville, and St. John's on successive days, and was named tournament MVP.
 
Helping lead the Lions to the No. 6 national ranking in the Associated Press polls and a 16-game winning streak, McMillian was the Lions' key player during their 12-2 Ivy League campaign, which tied perennial champions Princeton for the conference's best record. And on March 5, 1968, in front of a sellout crowd at St. John's Alumni Hall (now Carnesecca Arena), McMillian put on perhaps his greatest performance in Columbia Blue and White – scoring 37 points as the Lions routed Princeton 92-74 to win the Ivy League playoff and advance to the NCAA Tournament..
 
In the NCAA tournament, McMillian and the Lions defeated LaSalle in the first round and advanced to the regional semifinal – where they would lose to Davidson in a heartbreaking game, 61-59. Heavily guarded by all opponents as the Lions primary threat, McMillian averaged a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) during Columbia's three-game tournament run, which included a consolation round victory over St. Bonaventure.
 
Established as the Lions' star, McMillian's success continued during his junior and senior seasons, as Columbia posted 20-4 and 20-5 records in 1968-69 and 1969-70, narrowly missing Ancient Eight titles each year.


 
In leading Columbia to a three-year record of 63-14, McMillian not only was a three-time All-Ivy Leaguer and All-American each year, he became the first person ever to earn the Haggerty Award, given to the top NCAA Division I player in the New York City Metropolitan area, three times.
 
After his Columbia career, McMillian had scored 1,758 points, a school record, since broken by Buck Jenkins '93CC, who played four varsity seasons. His scoring average of 22.9 points per game is second-best in Lions' history behind fellow Columbia All-American Chet Forte '57CC. McMillian still holds the program's season records for field goals in a season (253) and career (677) and is second all-time in career rebounds (743) at Columbia.
 
Drafted in the first round by both the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA and New York Nets of the ABA, McMillian chose the Lakers and spent three years in L.A., scoring 3,714 points, an average of 15.3 per game, and winning an NBA title in 1972.
 
McMillian was a valuable contributor to the Lakers' success during that championship season. On November 4, 1971, Laker and NBA legend Elgin Baylor announced his retirement. The next night, McMillian stepped into his starting position at forward and provided a 22-point, 13-rebound performance to lead a win over Baltimore. It was the first of a 33-game win streak, still the longest in pro basketball history and McMillian starred throughout it.
 
After the Lakers, the Columbia star played three seasons for the Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers), averaging 16.4 points per game, two years with his hometown Knicks, and completed his career in 1978-79 with the Portland Trailblazers. He retired with 8,736 points and 3,319 rebounds in 631 games, for averages of 13.8 and 5.3 per game. His .832 career free throw percentage (1448-1741) ranks among the NBA's best.
 
Following his NBA career, McMillian played in Italy for two years and then returned home to work in a wholesale-retail business. He went on to own his own clothing business, and then worked for a large clothing manufacturing company.
 
In 2006, McMillian was inducted in the inaugural class of the Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame, as an individual, and as a member of the 1967-68 men's basketball team.
 
McMillian passed away at the age of 68 on May 16, 2016. He is survived by his wife Alexis, son Aron and daughter Emon.