Former NBA star J.R. Smith announced a new partnership with Jerry Jones' Complexity Gaming to host a Call of Duty tournament for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) students.
Smith shared the event on Thursday with a Twitch stream scheduled for Monday, Feb. 28, and prizes totaling $10,000 in celebration of Black History Month.
According to a press release by Complexity Gaming, the tournament will be held on Call of Duty: Warzone's Rebirth Island map. The HBCU students will compete in three teams, led by a Complexity Stars athlete or a Call of Duty influencer. Other participating athletes include; UFC fighters Sean O' Malley and Megan Anderson, Los Angeles Dodgers Edwin Rios, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette.
— Complexity Gaming (@Complexity) February 17, 2022
Smith states that he is eager to be a part of the partnership and happy to provide students an opportunity to compete with world-class athletes.
"As a student at NC A&T, I'm eager to find new ways to engage with my peers," Smith said. "Thanks to my partnership with Complexity Stars, we were able to make the Rebirth Rumble possible and give students a unique opportunity to compete alongside world-class athletes and top Call of Duty content creators."
Duane "Zeno" Jackson, Head of Complexity Stars, reveals that the company fully supports Smith's vision for the tournament. They are looking forward to bringing more opportunities like this into the future.
"J.R. Smith's vision for the Complexity Stars HBCU Rebirth Rumble is something that Complexity and the GameSquare team were deeply supportive of," Jackson said. "We're looking forward to bringing more opportunities like this to life in the future and continuing to support diversity and inclusivity in both esports and traditional sports."
Complexity will promote a charity drive for The HBCU Foundation during the tournament, produced by Boom TV's esports operations. Schools participating in the gaming include Morehouse College, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Tennessee State University, Howard University, and Clark Atlanta University.
Last year, Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T (NC A&T) State University; he is pursuing a liberal studies degree and played on the school's Division I golf team.
