In 2018, the All-Star Game became more than a game, but also an additional way to give back to the community as both teams played for selected charities. As its predecessors, the 2021 All-Star Game would follow suit, this year behind the backdrop of Atlanta, Georgia, a city full of history and culture representing the black community. This year’s focus will be geared towards showcasing and supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the value they hold in our communities. This cause holds special weight to 11-time All-Star, Chris Paul who in recent years has used his voice to spotlight HBCUs at large.
Using his platform for support came naturally to the 2013 All-Star MVP as HBCUs are threaded through his DNA. Paul’s parents both attended Winston Salem State University (WSSU), and growing up in the city itself, football games became tradition. His older brother C.J. would go on to play basketball at Hampton University, where on weekends Paul would often visit.
In 2018, a lot of buzz surrounded Paul as he sported a Texas Southern hoodie on the Houston Rockets’ (his former team) opening night. Just weeks prior, in an away game versus the Los Angeles Lakers, Paul entered the Staples Center in a bright red and black crewneck with the letters ‘WSSU’ spanning across the chest.
Fast forward to 2020, and following events of police brutality, illuminating HBCUs in the 2020 NBA Bubble became a top priority for CP3.
Taking notice that the tunnel has become a runway of sorts on game days, Paul & his stylist became strategic in displaying black designers. In an interview with Miami Heat assistant coach Caron Butler, Paul shared how one of his bubble pieces, a letterman jacket with the words “Historically Black College Established 1867,” stitched on one chest and a black and red ‘H’ on the other was designed by a Howard student.
From the beginning, CP3 ’s mission has been simple: to highlight and honor the contributions HBCUs have had on our society.
“The thing that I think that happens a lot of times is that people view these HBCUs as inferior… as not good enough or not as big as the other schools and we got to change that because we have just as many nurses, doctors, teachers… who come out of these schools,” Paul said in the interview with Butler.
“You see these schools going under because they’re underfunded, but a lot of times these schools are the schools who’ve been educating lots of black people for a very long time.”
Some of the HBCUs CP3 has showcased include notables like Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, along with Shaw University, Albany State University, Langston University, North Carolina Central University, Alabama State University, Florida A&M, and Savannah State University, the alma mater of Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe.
CP3 doesn’t take his NBA platform lightly as he knows what change it can bring about.
“It’s been about to try give a voice to the voiceless, everyone doesn’t always know about HBCUs, why they were created and I just try to bring attention to them,” Paul said last year in an interview on ESPN’s First Take.
Among notable athletes that have come from HBCUs is Portland Trail Blazers power forward Robert Covington who played college basketball for the Tennessee State Tigers. In 2018, Covington was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Expansion of notables has now also extended to HBCU collegiate coaching staffs as Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Deion ‘Primetime’ Sanders joined the Jackson State Football program last fall.
As a part of the 2021 All Star Weekend, the NBA has committed more than $3 million in initial support to the HBCU community and communities of color disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 through the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, United Negro College Fund, National Association for Equal Opportunity, and Direct Relief’s Fund for Health Equity.
Leading the charge in this year’s festivities, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced his aim to pay homage to the vibrant spirit of HBCUs.
In a statement regarding this year’s events Silver said, “In addition to music, content and storytelling, the league will spotlight HBCU students and alumni through the Michelob Ultra Courtside virtual fan experience, student artwork, in-arena activations, merchandise and partnerships.”
In addition to the festivities surrounding the 2021 All-Star Game, the NBA will also feature an HBCU inspired basketball court that was designed in collaboration with a variety of HBCU alumni. The league says the court was designed to “represent the best of HBCU academics, music and campus life while connecting back to the celebration of the game at center court”.
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