NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee State men’s basketball is headed to NBA All-Star weekend. The NBA announced Tuesday that the Tigers will face Howard in the 2027 NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T on Saturday, Feb. 20, in Phoenix.
The game will be played at Hardwood Central inside Jam Session at the Phoenix Convention Center and will be televised nationally, including on NBA TV at 12 p.m. Mountain time. Tickets to the Classic also get fans into Jam Session that day.
It will be Tennessee State’s first appearance in the event. Howard will be making its second trip after winning the inaugural NBA HBCU Classic in 2022.
The selection comes with money for both campuses. The NBA and AT&T will jointly donate $50,000 each to Howard University and Tennessee State University. Since 2021, when the league expanded its commitment to HBCUs, the NBA family has contributed more than $5.8 million to HBCU institutions, partners and scholarships.
Tennessee State head coach Nolan Smith, a former NBA player, said in the announcement that the game gives his players a big stage and puts the university, the city and its alumni in the national spotlight. Former NBA veteran Robert Covington serves as the program’s chief basketball officer.
The weekend will include more than the game. Foot Locker will again host an introductory event for both teams during All-Star 2027, including a competition between the schools’ bands and cheer teams.
Tennessee State, founded in 1912, is Nashville’s only public land-grant university, and its campus spans 500 acres. The Classic gives the program a national television window in the middle of the college basketball season.
