The Memphis Grizzlies will honor and celebrate Historically Black Colleges and Universities on Friday, Nov. 6, as the team hosts HBCU Night, presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners, at FedExForum, tipping-off against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7 p.m. Each year, the Grizzlies highlight and bring awareness to the rich diversity of HBCUs as they continue to redesign the educational landscape, ensuring African Americans receive a solid and sound education.
Celebrations will begin with the Grizzlies HBCU Yard Fest on the Big River Steel Plazastarting at 4 p.m. The Yard Fest will provide a fun and engaging space for fans to celebrate HBCU culture and learn more about HBCUs before the game. LeMoyne-Owen College, Tennessee State University, Mississippi Valley State University, Lane College and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will be tabling with representatives from each school on-site giving students and younger attendees the opportunity to connect directly with them to learn more about each institution and explore educational opportunities.
The Yard Fest will also feature music from Hampton University graduate DJ Alpha Whiskey, a performance by the LeMoyne-Owen College cheer and percussion squad, a photo booth and cash bar. The Grizzlies are offering fans an exclusive ticket package for HBCU Night. Fans who purchase tickets here by Wednesday, Nov. 4, will receive an HBCU Night T-shirt and a $10 food voucher, while supplies last. Fans who purchase the ticket package will pick up their T-shirt and food voucher at a check-in table at the Yard Fest.
HBCU alumni will be featured throughout the night, including Grizzlies employees who graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The evening will also provide fans with HBCU trivia and features from Grind City Media’s “HBCU Huddle,” catching fans up on the latest from the SWAC, MEAC, SIAC, CIAA and other historically black colleges around the country.
Entertainment throughout the night includes the national anthem by the Mississippi Delta Community College Choir, a halftime performance by Yung Joc and pregame performances by Corey Lou & Da Village.
Applications for the ninth annual HBCU Empowerment Awards, presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners, will open on Friday, Nov. 6, and close on Friday, Dec. 11 at grizzlies.com/hbcu. Nine HBCU graduates will be chosen as honorees for their community empowerment and outstanding contributions to the fields of education, health and fitness, youth development or service throughout the City of Memphis or Shelby County. One honoree will be highlighted at each Grizzlies home game in February 2027, receiving a donation to their alma mater in their name.
The Grizzlies and Pinnacle Financial Partners partnered with the HBCU Awareness Foundation during October and November to support the foundation’s 2026-27 college fairs. With a vision and passion for building awareness and exposing high school students to HBCUs, the foundation hosts more than 40 schools at their fall and spring fairs each year, providing students with opportunities to gain financial resources, attend informational sessions or even be admitted to colleges on the spot. The fairs were hosted in Memphis, Mississippi, Arkansas and surrounding areas in the fall and will return in the spring of 2027.