NBA names as connectors for HBCU basketball could be game changer

Jackson State made headlines late last week when ESPN contributor and NBA vet Kendrick Perkins announced he was joining the program.

Yes, the headline is that Perkins, the former NBA champion and current ESPN analyst, has joined Jackson State men's basketball as general manager. The role is a volunteer position - but it does not make the move less important.

In fact, the volunteer nature of the role may say even more about where HBCU athletics could be headed.

Perkins is not taking over as head coach. He is not being asked to sit on the bench, draw up late-game sets or recruit the old-fashioned way from the road. Instead, Jackson State is attaching his name, relationships and visibility to a program trying to build momentum under head coach Trey Johnson.

That is the real story.

"It's a volunteer role, but he's going to come in to fundraise," Jackson State athletics director Ashley Robinson told HBCU Legends.

HBCUs need more than coaches

For years, the big question around former pro athletes and HBCUs has been simple: who is going to coach?

That made sense after Deion Sanders turned Jackson State football into a national conversation. Sanders brought attention, recruits, television interest and cultural energy to a place that already had tradition. He did not invent Jackson State football. But he showed the sports world what could happen when HBCU tradition met pro-athlete visibility.

But coaching is not the only lane.

That is why the Perkins move is worth watching. It suggests that a former NBA player can help an HBCU without having to become the head coach. He can fundraise. He can open doors. He can advise players. He can help with NIL. He can connect athletics with media, branding and professional development.

In 2026, that may be the play for the future.

College athletics is no longer just about facilities and scholarships. It is about attention, relationships, content, brand value and access. HBCUs do not have Power Four budgets. They cannot simply spend their way into every room.

But they do have culture. They do have history and alumni pride. And in some cases, they have natural connections to former pro athletes who understand what visibility can do.

That is where schools have to get creative.

Earlier this year, HBCU Gameday's Tolly Carr suggested that Winston-Salem State should consider a similar idea with Chris Paul after his NBA career. It was not about asking Paul to coach the Rams. It was about asking a simple question: what would it look like for WSSU to formally connect with one of the most visible basketball figures ever tied to Winston-Salem?

That idea should not sound far-fetched now.

The value is in the connection

Chris Paul does not need a whistle to help WSSU. Kendrick Perkins does not need a paid staff title to help Jackson State. That is the point.

The modern HBCU athletic department needs more connectors. It needs people who can sit in rooms with sponsors, donors, agents, media companies and recruits. It needs people who can translate tradition into opportunity.

Perkins gives Jackson State an NBA voice attached to its men's basketball program. He also brings ESPN visibility and the credibility of a long professional career. For a program that has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2007, that type of relationship is not small.

Of course, this has to become more than a press release.

The real test is whether Perkins can help Jackson State raise money, build NIL opportunities and create a better player experience. The title sounds good. The work still has to be done.

But the model is what HBCUs should study.

There are former NBA, NFL and MLB athletes with ties to HBCUs, HBCU towns and Black college culture. Some are relatives of alumni or grew up around these campuses. Some simply understand the cultural value.

Not every one of them should be a coach. Not every one of them wants that life.

But many could be ambassadors, general managers, fundraising chairs, NIL advisors, media partners or program advocates.

That is where HBCUs may find a new lane.

The Perkins move is not just about Jackson State. It is a reminder that HBCUs should stop thinking of pro athletes only as potential coaches.

Sometimes the bigger win is getting them connected.

And if Jackson State can turn a volunteer role into real basketball value, other HBCUs should be paying close attention.

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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 12:12 PM.