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Bowie gains entry into exclusive country club

Associated Press - November 25, 2009 9:44 PM ET

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Former college and professional basketball player Sam Bowie and his family have been accepted as the first black members of a Kentucky country club once perceived to be a symbol of racial exclusivity.

Bowie on Wednesday confirmed to the Lexington Herald-Leader that they had been accepted into the Idle Hour Country Club.

The former University of Kentucky star and retired Los Angeles Laker had said he applied because he has friends there, is an avid golfer, and lives near the club.

But he told the newspaper he was honored to have been accepted, and that the acceptance made history even though that wasn't his intention.

In 1993, Bowie had become the first black member of the Lexington Country Club.

Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com

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