Robert Covington Falls Flat In First Round Of Skills Challenge

Robert Covington, rocking his alma mater's uniform, did every historically Black college and university across the country proud on Sunday. But unfortunately for the Portland Trail Blazers wing, he failed to put his best basketball foot forward in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge.

The lone non-All-Star selected for the event, Covington faced off against Nikola Vucevic in the first round of the Skills Challenge. He fell behind the Magic big man early after misfiring on his first pass attempt, ultimately losing when Vucevic got down the floor first to launch a made three-pointer.

The Skills Challenge took place at State Farm Arena prior to tipoff of the All-Star Game. Chris Paul, Luka Doncic Julius Randle and Domantas Sabonis, the eventual winner, also participated in the event.

Covington, who played college basketball at Tennessee State, is the NBA's only active player to attend an HBCU. The National Basketball Players' Association, partnering with the league, has pledged more than $2.5 million in funds and resources toward HBCUs as part of All-Star weekend.

Covington played four seasons at Tennessee State before going undrafted in 2013. A three-time All-OVC (Ohio Valley Conference) honoree, he finished his career as the Tigers' seventh all-time leader in both scoring and rebounding.

“Of course, I would love to have a break just to get away and reset,” Covington told The New York Times of competing in the Skills Challenge, “but I feel like it’s a life-changing experience, and it’s an opportunity I can’t pass up.”

Before the event began, Covington announced on TNT that he was providing $25,000 scholarships to a pair of current Tennessee State students.

In today's @NBAAllStar Skills Competition, @Holla_At_Rob33 will be wearing his Tennessee State jersey & just surprised two virtual fans, who are also students at Tennessee State, with $25K scholarships each ❤️ pic.twitter.com/04n08SCKbI
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 7, 2021

Hardly known for his passing and ball-handling prowess, Covington has nevertheless made a substantial impact during his first season in Portland. He's averaging 7.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks for the Blazers, starting every game this season at power forward.

A notoriously streaky three-point shooter, Covington got off to a cold start from beyond the arc this season before a concussion suffered in late January forced him to return to the lineup wearing a prescription facemask. Since then, he's shooting a solid 38.1 percent from three on 5.1 attempts per game, and has connected on at least four triples in eight separate games.

Covington's biggest influence comes on the other side of the ball, where he's one of the most disruptive defenders in basketball. Portland allows 7.2 fewer points per 100 possessions with Covington on the court, per Cleaning the Glass, a team-best number.

READ MORE: Don't Blame Robert Covington For Blazers' Toothless Defense