As the NBA prepared for the upcoming All-Star Weekend in Atlanta, league officials announced that the game would feature unprecedented tributes to historically black colleges and universities.

For Sunday’s feature contest, the NBA fielded an officiating crew composed entirely of HBCU graduates, ESPN reports.

"It means opportunity," NBA referee Courtney Kirkland, a 21-year vet and 1999 graduate of Southern University, said. "To show and prove that we can do this craft. For many years before, it was believed that we couldn't do this craft.

Last year, Kirkland was a member of the All-Star Game’s referee crew, which featured all Black officials. This year, the Southern grad joined Tony Brown, a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, and crew chief Tom Washington, who is a proud alum of Norfolk State University, in representing their school spirit and community pride.

"This is just as, if not more, a proud moment," Washington told ESPN. "Actually recognizing the heritage of the HBCUs and me being a part of it and hopefully representing it in a most honorable way along the way."

Brown, a 19-year referee with the league, said it is empowering to be able to use his platform to showcase a part of his experiences and values as a Black man.

"First off, just being a Black man, in this current state and time," he said. "It is very empowering to go out and continue to stay positive, encourage other people to get educated and do what's right and just try to reach one, teach one, and be a good human being."

Along with appearances by HBCU graduates and students, including the Grambling and Florida A&M marching bands who participated in performances during the game, All-Star Weekend also featured a court designed with the intention of honoring the history and culture of Black people in academia.

ESPN’s Rachel Nichols tweeted that players in the game would wear special Beats By Dre headphones designed by HBCU students and that fans, both in-person and virtually represented, will be be a mix of frontline workers and the HBCU community.

In a statement on social media, the NBA revealed that the court was conceived with the involvement of HBCU grads and attempts to bring their passion to life.

“The court represents both the academic significance, as well as the incredible pride & school spirit of HBCUs & their students. Created with HBCU alumni, it incorporates icons representing the best of HBCU academics, music and campus life,” the league wrote.

According to ESPN, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association pledged over $3 million in funds to support HBCUs and to raise awareness of the effect COVID-19 has had on communities of color.

The two All-Star teams, led by LeBron James and Kevin Durant, played to benefit the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and United Negro College Fund, per Bleacher Report.

According to the popular sports blog, Portland Trailblazers forward Robert Covington, a former Tennessee State University star, is the only HBCU grad in the NBA. The 30-year-old from Bellwood, Illinois is set to compete in the Skill Challenge on Sunday.

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