- Hartbeat to Produce Exclusive Content Throughout the Tournament; Updated Brackets Revealed -
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Chris Paul Family Foundation and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame are excited to announce a major update to the upcoming Chris Paul HBCU Classic. In a significant development, Toyota has joined as the title sponsor for this year’s event, set to take place on December 19-20 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
For the first time, the HBCU Tip-Off and Challenge will be merged into one event, bringing the vibrant culture of HBCU basketball to a single venue. This new format, announced in May, allows both organizations to celebrate and showcase the rich tradition of HBCU athletics at the Mohegan Sun, with Toyota playing a key role in enhancing the overall experience for athletes and attendees.
Hartbeat, the multi-platform entertainment company founded by Kevin Hart, has been brought on as the lead content partner to shoot exclusive content. In partnership with Toyota and the Chris Paul Family Foundation in connection with the event, Hartbeat will produce a custom content series, “Change the Game,” set to air in early 2025. This dynamic series will feature veteran players taking rookies on a ride-along and encouraging them to use their public platform to help create upward mobility and opportunities for deserving communities and people.
Updated Toyota Chris Paul HBCU Classic bracket information:
BRACKET 1
Thursday, December 19
Benedict College vs. Lincoln, PA
Winston-Salem State vs. Kentucky State
Friday, December 20
Consolation
Championship
BRACKET 2
Thursday, December 19
Norfolk State vs. Alabama State
Delaware State vs. Grambling
Friday, December 20
Norfolk State vs. Grambling
Delaware State vs. Alabama State
Tickets for the 2024 Toyota Chris Paul HBCU Classic will go on sale tomorrow (Friday, September 6), via Ticketmaster and at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office starting Saturday, September 7.
Further updates regarding game times, broadcast information, and credentialing will be shared at a later date. For more details, please visit hoophall.com.
About Chris Paul
Affectionately known as the Point God, Chris Paul is a 12-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympic Gold medalist. He was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history. In 2021, Paul became the first player in league history to record 20,000 points and 10,000 assists in their career. He ranks third on the NBA all-time career assists list. Paul is entering his 20th season in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs and has previously played with the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Orleans Hornets. Paul attended Wake Forest University and was selected 4th in the 2005 NBA Draft. He completed his degree in 2022 from HBCU Winston-Salem State University.
Off the court, he’s a father, husband, entrepreneur, activist, author, and philanthropist. His recent New York Times best-selling memoir, Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court, is a powerful and unexpected memoir of family, faith, tragedy, and life's most important lessons.
He served as the former President of the National Basketball Players Association from 2013 until 2021. His production company, Ohh Dip!!! Productions, creates content across multiple platforms and has produced three docuseries with ESPN on HBCU culture with NC Central Mens Basketball, HBCU Football (FAMU) and HBCU Dance Southern Univ Dancing Dolls and Grambling University band.
Paul's business footprint is diverse, with a portfolio that includes minority ownership of the Indian Premier League's Rajasthan Royals and the Winston-Salem Dash in his home state of North Carolina, as well as ownership of the CP3 Basketball Academy. His Team CP3 AAU teams currently has 14 players in the NBA. Notable long-standing brand partnerships include State Farm and Jordan Brand and he founded a plant-based healthy snack brand, Good Eat’n.
About The Chris Paul Family Foundation
The Chris Paul Family Foundation continues to provide resources that enrich and strengthen underserved communities across the country through its Club 61 Leadership Alliance and the accredited HBCU Business of Entertainment Media and Sports class at NC A&T and Southern University. Paul co-launched the Social Change Fund United with Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, which is dedicated to investing in and supporting organizations focused on empowering communities of color and advocating for basic human rights and liberties. He serves on President Joe Biden's advisory board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. His philanthropic efforts have earned him the 2016 ESPYs “Humanitarian of the Year” award, the 2016 Mannie Jackson Human Spirit Award, and the NBA Community Assist Award five times. Chris is also the first recipient of the Kobe and Gigi Bryant Advocacy Award for his significant contributions to the advancement of girls' and women's basketball and advocacy for the WNBA.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors – both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 450 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophallU, or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 29 electrified options.
Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
About Mohegan Sun Arena
Mohegan Sun Arena, one of the busiest sports and entertainment venues in the world today, was awarded the 2024 Newsweek Readers’ Choice award for “Best Casino with Live Entertainment in America." Mohegan Sun Arena was also named “Best Casino/Resort Venue of the Year” at the 35th Annual Pollstar Awards. In 2021, the 10,000-seat arena also received its first “#1 Indoor Arena” ranking for its size in the world from Pollstar and VenuesNow. Mohegan Sun Arena is consistently recognized among the top five venues in the United States, and in 2021 was named “Innovator of the Year” by Celebrity Access for its ViacomCBS residency during the pandemic. In recent years, the “Most Beloved Venue in America” has also been named the “World’s Best Casino Venue” by Best of Hartford Magazine and is a seven-time national award winner for “Arena of the Year” by the Academy of Country Music Awards and G2E Las Vegas. For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.
About Hartbeat
Founded by Kevin Hart, Hartbeat is the global, multi-platform entertainment company creating content and experiences at the intersection of comedy and culture with a mission to keep the world laughing together. Led by an award-winning team, Hartbeat is a valuable partner to the biggest entertainment companies, platforms, and brands in the world, driving cultural currency and generating sales, subscriptions, buzz, and conversation with some of the most coveted audiences.