Twitter Hosted HBCU Students During NBA All-Star Weekend
Twitter hosted 11 HBCU students inside its "Tweet Suite" during the 2022 NBA All-Star game on Feb. 20 at the Rocket Financial Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The students met celebrities and personalities inside the social media giant's suite that was decked out in the Twitter decor and swag.
The students witnessed sharpshooter Stephen Curry claim the MVP award after scoring 50 points. The former NBA champion's record-setting barrage of 16 three-pointers helped Team LeBron win 163-160 over Team Durant in the 71st edition of the NBA All-Star Game. Curry also gave Twitter an assist when he answered a question from Howard's Elijah Hawkins before the NBA HBCU Game.
HBCU STUDENTS IN THE #TWEETSUITE
"We're thrilled that the 11 HBCU students who attended the NBA All-Star Game in Twitter's #TweetSuite had the opportunity to meet and chat with Twitter's CFO, and members of the Twitter Sports team. While the event was mostly lighthearted in nature, and students had a chance to network with all of the attendees in the #TweetSuite, we did take the opportunity to inform any interested students about career opportunities at Twitter, and offer tips on how to best pursue roles in tech and sports more generally. We are excited to stay in touch with these students as they pursue their chosen careers," Twitter Sr. Sports Partner Manager Kelsey Bowers said.
More links with the HBCU Students:
- Students thanking Twitter for the tickets:
- Excitement about being in the Tweet Suite:
- https://twitter.com/askaboutnia/status/1495567711950229507
- https://twitter.com/_Brooklynmade/status/1495576719008440320
- https://twitter.com/Jevone13/status/1495583434156261378
- Students meet celebs & business execs:
HBCU STUDENT-ATHLETES ENGAGE WITH NBA STARS
Two prestigious HBCU men's basketball teams played in the inaugural NBA HBCU Classic on Saturday, Feb. 19, part of the NBA All-Star weekend of events. In a thrilling battle, the Howard Bisons defeated the Morgan State Bears 68-66. Twitter allowed the student-athletes from each team to tweet "burning questions" to their NBA idols with #AskTheAllStars. The cool part was that Steph Curry, Trae Young, Karl-Anthony Towns, Lamelo Ball, and other NBA All-Stars responded via video to their questions on Twitter.
- Response from Khris Middleton & Trae Young
- Response from Josh Giddey & Ja Morant
- Response from Karl Anthony Towns & Jarrett Allen
- Response from Cole Anthony & Andrew Wiggins
- Response from Lamelo Ball, Jayson Tatum & Desmond Bane
THE FUTURE BETWEEN TWITTER AND HBCU SCHOOLS
Kelsey Bowers remarked, "Engaging with the HBCU students from both the NBA HBCU Classic and #TweetSuite was by far the highlight of the weekend for the Twitter Sports team. We're proud to provide them with one-of-a-kind opportunities to grow professionally and personally, and we'll be keen to innovate on this concept at events going forward."
The future engagement between HBCU students and student-athletes with Twitter looks promising. The opportunities to meet and interact with professional athletes and celebrities were incredible.
The more enlightening part of the weekend for the students was their interaction with Twitter's staff and executives. It gave the HBCU students firsthand exposure to the worlds of sports and technology and if careers in either would be in their futures.