Michael B. Jordan launches basketball showcase for HBCU athletes
By Jaelen Ogadhoh
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| Michael B. Jordan attends the 51st NAACP Image Awards, Presented by BET, at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 22, 2020 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) |
Basketball as we know it today may not exist without the contributions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their alumni, such as Howard University graduate Edwin Henderson, who earned the nickname “The Father of Black Basketball” in the early 20th century when he introduced the game to African Americans in Washington D.C., catalyzing the sport’s rapid growth in popularity among Black communities nationwide.
Today, largely thanks to Henderson’s contributions, basketball is not only one of the most popular sports among HBCUs, but among Black Americans across the country. Despite the current popularity, only one five-star-ranked high school basketball player has opted to play for an HBCU since ESPN began ranking players in 2007.
Actor and producer Michael B. Jordan is among the high-profile public figures making efforts to further amplify HBCUs and their student-athletes in 2021. The Black Panther and Just Mercy star is launching the “Hoop Dreams Classic,” a basketball showcase featuring the nation’s top Division 1 HBCU men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Edwin Henderson (November 24, 1883 – February 3, 1977), widely recognized as the "Grandfather of Black Basketball." pic.twitter.com/TGk5jEbKjx
— BeverlyBlack (@gumboforthesoul) September 8, 2016
https://news.yahoo.com/michael-b-jordan-launches-basketball-215059107.html
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