About
Claude Johnson is an award-winning author, historian, and founder of the Black Fives Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity whose mission is to research, preserve, showcase, teach, and honor the pre-NBA history of African-American basketball teams.
Claude's narrative nonfiction book, "The Black Fives: The Epic Story of Basketball's Forgotten Era" (Abrams Press, 2022) won an MAAH Stone Book Award "Finalist" prize in recognition of exceptional new literary work in the field of African-American history and culture.
His work has been featured in media outlets such as CBS News, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, TheUndefeated, Fox Sports, SI for Kids, the History Channel, NPR, the BBC, MTV, ESPN, NBA TV, and Turner Broadcasting.
Claude has a BS in civil engineering and economics from Carnegie Mellon and an MS in mechanical engineering from Stanford. During a 20-year career in corporate America, he held management and executive positions at IBM, American Express, NBA Properties, Nike, Phat Farm, and Benetton Sportsystem.
The former two-term trustee of the Greenwich Public Library left corporate work to become a stay-at-home dad to his three sons, each of whom became NCAA Division I student-athletes, respectively, at the University of San Diego, University of Michigan, and the United States Naval Academy.
Claude is the first-ever stay-at-home dad and self-made historian to get a global sneaker deal (with PUMA).
Featured Work
THE BLACK FIVES: THE EPIC STORY OF BASKETBALL’S FORGOTTEN ERA
A groundbreaking, timely history of the largely unknown early days of Black basketball, bringing to life the trailblazing players, teams, and impresarios who made the game.
HARDCOVER
Publication Date: May 24, 2022
Imprint: Abrams Press
Trim Size: 6" x 9"
Weight: 28 oz. (0.79 kg.)
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4436-5
Page Count: 480
Additional formats: eBook
Rights: World/All
Other Works
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City/Game: Basketball in New York
2020
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What If Sweetwater Clifton's Pass Hadn't Gone Awry? ("Upon Further Review: The Greatest What-Ifs In Sports History")
2018
Awards and Recognition
- New York Knicks' Sweetwater Clifton City Spirit Award for Outstanding Community Service, 2018
- Harlem Week Rucker Park Pro Legends “Each One Teach One” Community Service Award, 2013
- Mayoral Proclamation: February 10th Named "Black Fives Day" for the City of New York, 2010
- Brooklyn Nets' Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things Award, 2010
Press and Media Mentions
- “There are heroes among us who believe in fighting for, preserving and spreading the gospel of black history. Claude Johnson is one such hero.” – Moke Hamilton, The Athletic (2019)
- "That’s how Johnson ended up in front of the Thunder players with a basketball, pair of shoes and pair of knee pads, all from an era of basketball before the NBA became racially integrated." – Maddie Lee, The Oklahoman (2019)
- "Worked with the great @ClaudeJohnson for years on many projects-no one has done more to ensure that not just the complete history of African-Americans in basketball is documented, but that black pioneers predating the NBA get their due in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame." (2019) – David Aldridge, Editor In Chief, The Athletic
- Black Fives Foundation Executive Director Claude Johnson talks with the Thunder about the history of African-American basketball. (2019) (VIDEO) – NBA TV
- “Mr. Johnson’s mission is akin to the work that has been done to preserve the history of baseball’s Negro leagues. But his task might be harder.” – The New York Times (2014)
- "Most people have heard of the Negro Leagues in baseball and of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in the late 1940s — but relatively few people have heard of the Black Fives, the African-American basketball teams that played up until the NBA was integrated in 1950." (2014) – NPR
- "Claude Johnson never intended to dedicate his life to the history of basketball's early segregated leagues." (2014) – The Wall Street Journal
- "Known as the "black fives" for the number of starting players, these teams came to define an era." (2014) (VIDEO) – British Broadcasting Company (BBC News)
