Hampton Basketball takes on All-Star Weekend.

By Drew Covington

Hampton Pirate Basketball flew to Los Angeles to show off HBCU talent on the biggest stage at the 2026 NBA All-Star game.

Last Friday, February 13th, the Hampton Pirates played against the North Carolina A&T Aggies for the NBA’s annual HBCU classic during their All-Star game weekend. Hampton lost to the Aggies 71 to 70. Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt and Xzavier Long led the Pirates with 17 points, and Lewis Walker led the Aggies with 18 points. 

Courtesy of NBA

“Definitely disappointing,” said Nehemiah Thompson, a third-year sports management major and economics minor from Jackson, Mississippi. Thompson serves as a manager on the basketball team this year and travels with the team. “Going back to the white board and figuring out what we can do better,” said Thompson about the most after the game. 

The NBA has been hosting the HBCU Classic during All-Star Weekend since 2022, making it the fifth year in a row they’ve hosted. This was the first year Hampton participated in the classic. Last year, it was Tuskegee University and Morehouse College playing against each other. Along with playing in the game, the team was invited to watch all of the all-star festivities, which include the dunk contest, three-point contest, and all-star game.

“I enjoyed it. I know there’s a lot of talk about, they’re not trying. I feel like the effort was good enough for me; it was an entertaining event for me, so I enjoyed it,” said Thompson. 

The NBA was trying a new format for this year’s All-Star Game, with the main aspect being a two USA team verses a international team. Thompson believed that the format led to more effort in the game itself. “Personally, I didn’t have an issue with the effort this year; I’m perfectly fine with the league sticking with it.”