Last month, the Howard University men’s basketball team took part in an unprecedented game when it hosted Notre Dame in the Fighting Irish’s first-ever road game at an HBCU.
Later this month, Howard will once again be playing in a historic game when the Bison take on Morgan State University in the inaugural NBA HBCU Classic during All-Star weekend.
Howard and Morgan State, two historically black colleges and universities, will face off on Feb. 19 in Cleveland. The game will be broadcast on both TNT and ESPN2.
“The historic partnership that has given rise to the NBA HBCU Classic is helping to elevate HBCUs at a critical time for our country,” Howard athletic director Kery Davis said in a press release. “HBCUs and the NBA have a shared legacy of using their platforms to serve their communities and amplify the voices of marginalized people. We appreciate the opportunity to shine a spotlight on HBCUs this year and for our students to share a stage with some of the world’s most talented athletes during NBA All-Star weekend.”
The NBA and AT&T — the sponsor of the game — will both donate $100,000 to be split by the athletic departments at Howard and Morgan State.
Four HBCU alumni will help broadcast the game, including host Stephanie Ready (Coppin State), analyst Stephen A. Smith (Winston-Salem State) and play-by-play announcer Brian Custer (Hampton) for TNT/ESPN2 and analyst Rick Mahorn (Hampton) on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
Musician and actress Keke Palmer will sing the national anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” prior to the start of the game.
“We commend the NBA for their continued commitment and programming to promote HBCUs and showcase the talented young men and women on our campus,” Morgan State interim athletic director Erlease Wagner said in a press release.
Tip-off for the NBA HBCU Classic at the Wolstein Center is 2 p.m.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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