Conference Champs to Meet in NBA All-Star HBCU Classic:
The NBA announced Tuesday that the 2027 NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T will feature the Howard University and Tennessee State University men’s basketball teams on Saturday, Feb. 20, at Hardwood Central within Jam Session (Phoenix Convention Center), as part of NBA All-Star 2027 in Phoenix.
Tennessee State will make its first appearance participating in the Classic, while Howard will compete for the second time after capturing a win in the inaugural NBA HBCU Classic in 2022. The 2027 NBA HBCU Classic will air on ESPN and NBA TV at 12 p.m. MT and fans can purchase tickets at NBAEvents.com.
This year’s match up with be with conference champions and NCAA Tournament participaints from a year ago.
Howard has won the last two and three of the last four Mid Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament titles under head coach Kenny Blakeney. Tennessee State won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title last season in the first year under head coach Nolan Smith. Both Blakeney and Smith played collegiately at Duke
The Classic is a continuation of the NBA’s commitment to increasing support and awareness for HBCUs. As part of this ongoing commitment, the NBA and AT&T will jointly donate $50,000 each to Howard and Tennessee State.
