The application window is open for the National Basketball Associations’ first-ever class of the NBA HBCU fellowship program, which will provide career development opportunities in the NBA for HBCU students.
The application window will be open through Feb. 20, and the inaugural program will take place between June 6 and Aug. 12. Current full-time undergraduate (juniors and seniors) and graduate students can apply to intern with the league office or any of the league’s 30 teams for 10 weeks this summer.
“The HBCU Fellowship Program is a true continuation of the NBA Foundation’s mission to drive economic opportunity for young people within the Black community,” NBA Foundation Executive Director Greg Taylor said in a statement. “We are proud of the investment the league has made to promote important school-to-career opportunities and to further develop the best and brightest talent from our nation’s HBCUs.”
Candidates will be interviewed on a rolling basis, and offers will be extended in early spring. To help with the effort, the NBA has enlisted the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), which will manage logistics around housing and relocation for the inaugural class of fellows.
Sixty fellows will be selected by NBA teams and the league office to intern in a wide variety of departments, including ticket sales, corporate partnerships, legal, social responsibility, marketing, and more. Each mentor will also be matched with a mentor as part of their experience. Fellows will also participate in professional development opportunities organized by the league office and the NBA Foundation throughout the summer, including workshops, team-building activities, and a two-day orientation. Fellows will also be financially compensated.
Avery Johnson, who starred at Southern University from 1986-’88 before enjoying a successful career as an NBA player and coach, said the NBA and HBCUs make great teammates.
“To have the NBA get behind the HBCUs is great,” Johnson said in a statement. “This will shine light on those schools and the wonderful work that those professors and coaches and student bodies are doing. This will get even more people to contribute.”