Basketball pioneer Earl Lloyd, the Parker-Gray High School star and first black player in the NBA, returns to his hometown this month and will make a special visit to the Alexandria Black History Museum.

On August 19, from 6:30  to 8:30 p.m., Lloyd will discuss and sign copies of his new autobiography, Moonfixer, at the museum on Wythe Street. The event also serves as the kick-off for the Parker-Gray School Reunion weekend celebration.

Lloyd left Alexandria more than 60 years ago to play basketball at West Virginia State College. Along with two other black players, Lloyd was drafted into the NBA in 1950 and, later that year, debuted for the Washington Capitols the first black player to log a minute in the young league.

During his career, the 6-foot-5 Lloyd also played for the Syracuse Nationals and Detroit Pistons, scoring more than 4,600 points over nine seasons. He later became the Pistons head coach.

The title of Moonfixer, co-authored by Sean Kirst of the Syracuse Post-Standard, comes from Lloyds nickname in college when friends would encourage him to reach up and fix the moon.