The HBCU All-Star Game has announced that HBCU legends Rick Mahorn and Ben Wallace will be the team namesakes for the fifth annual event.
Team Rick Mahorn will represent players from the MEAC and SIAC, while Team Ben Wallace will represent the CIAA and SWAC players.
Mahorn played for Hampton University from 1976-1980, being named to three All-CIAA teams and three NAIA All-American teams.
He played 18 years in the NBA, winning an NBA championship as a member of the 1989 Detroit Pistons.
The former Pirate transitioned to coaching, spending nine years as an assistant coach in the WNBA. He won two WNBA championships on the now-defunct Detroit Shock coaching staff.
On the other hand, Ben Wallace spent three years with Virginia Union, leading the team to two CIAA championships and a Division II Final Four.
He played 16 years in the NBA, putting the decorated career that led to him being inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
This includes winning an NBA championship 2004, four Defensive Player of the Year awards, five All-Defensive teams, four All-Star teams, and five All-NBA teams.
This is the second year the HBCU All-Star Game teams have been named after former HBCU stars, with last year’s teams being named after Dick Barnett and Willis Reed.
The game will commence on April 7, a day before the national championship, from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.
