Michael B. Jordan talks supporting HBCU student-athletes

Renowned actor and producer Michael B. Jordan speaks with USA TODAY about his HBCU basketball tournament, the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic. Three years ago, Jordan partnered with Invesco QQQ to create a high-end basketball event specifically for HBCUs. Jordan is a native of Newark, N.J., and has been exposed to a lot of basketball in the area.

“Of course, that’s where it all started,” he said. “Watching Knicks games with my dad, there was a lot of talking. There was a lot of heckling, a lot of jokes, but it gave me a drive to stay competitive no matter what I did.”

After the summer of 2020, much of the national attention was focused on HBCUs. Companies are scrambling to diversify their workforces, which has led them into predominantly Black spaces. During that scramble, Jordan realized something.

“The HBCU culture, I always grew up around it. I guess as I got older, I started looking at other existing basketball tournaments and being curious about why HBCUs never had one. In my opinion, The way I work is, “How do I reverse engineer this? How do I make one?

In December 2021, Jordan hosted the inaugural Legacy Classic event in Newark. “No matter what, it feels right to come back home and take what you learned back to the place where you were created,” he said. “Knowing that there will be kids from Newark, you know, seeing what I built Something feels special. “It proves that you can do anything you want. “

The first round of the Legacy Classic includes games between Howard and North Carolina A&T, as well as games between North Carolina Central and Delaware State. Fast forward to 2024 and the event is stronger than ever. Hampton and Howard had one of their best games of the year after Grambling State defeated Jackson State 70-60. Hampton won 63-61 in the “Real Battle of HU.”