NBA pledges $2.5 million to HBCUs

Through a partnership with the Thurgood Marshall Colleges Fund

(TMCF), National Association for Equal Opportunity (NAFEO) and

Direct Reliefs Fund for Healthy Equity, the NBA, NPBA, NBA All-

Star 2021 partners including AT&T, Mountain Dew, and Taco Bell,

All-Star will highlight the importance of HBCUs and raise

awareness around the devastating effect of COVID-19 on

communities of color. All-Star will feature special performances by

HBCU musical groups and unique storytelling and content by

alumni and students.

Chris Paul, the President of the National Basketball Players

Association is a student at Winston-Salem University, an HBCU

located in North Carolina, his hometown. He also sported HBCU

gear during Bubble play in Orlando, Florida this past summer.

The NBA All-Star game is set to take place in Atlanta, Georgia at 8pm.

It will adhere to same format introduced last year in Chicago with two

teams competing to win each quarter before playing to a final target

score during the untimed final frame. For the first time in the

exhibition’s history, the game and all related events will be held on the

same day. The Skills Challenge and Three-Point contest will take

place prior to the All-Star game and the Slam Dunk contest will be the

half-time show.

The NBA and NBPA have also vowed to raise awareness to COVID-

19 care, relief, and vaccines.