HBCUs to glitter on NBA's All-Star stage with game, events

CLEVELAND (AP) — This year's NBA's All-Star stage isn't reserved for just LeBron James, Steph Curry and the league's other top performers.

There's another game in town, one that can make a much longer-lasting impact.

When basketball's best gather in Cleveland to dunk, fire 3-pointers and hobnob with corporate partners as the league celebrates its 75th anniversary this weekend, another group of players will get a chance to shine amid the glittering stars.

Morgan State will play Howard on Saturday in the inaugural NBA HBCU Classic, a matchup that will provide major exposure — and funding — for historically Black colleges and universities while expanding the league's longtime commitment to HBCUs, a nationwide network of 107 schools.

“I’m excited about it,” said Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, a 12-time All-Star and former president of the NBA Players Association. ”It’s a great stage for them. It’s the education of it. A lot of people don’t understand the importance of HBCUs and why they were formed. To continue to elevate them and give them a stage and a platform is very important.”

Paul played a major role in broadening the league's ties with HBCUs, a partnership that goes back 35 years to former Commissioner David Stern serving as a founding board member for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

The HBCU experience was celebrated at last year's All-Star Weekend in Atlanta, where marching bands trumpeted players onto the floor, step teams performed and the league used NBA referees who attended HBCUs.

In all, the league and NBPA donated $3 million to the HBCU community for academic scholarships, advancement initiatives and other programs last year. Those funds are expected to grow in 2022 with TNT and ESPN broadcasting Saturday's game from Cleveland State's campus.

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