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The 2020 NBA playoffs have begun and with lots of changes happening in the league one thing that will remain the same is players using their platform to bring awareness. As we’ve seen, some players have chosen messages to put on the back of their jerseys like; Black Lives Matter, Equality, How Many More?, Vote, and many more. Those players who chose not to print messages on their backs are using other ways to show support, advance the movement, and keep the conversation going. Chris Paul is doing both by wearing “Equality” across his back and “Can’t Give Up Now… #BreonnaTaylor” written on his custom made shoes highlighting different Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Chris Paul, a graduate of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem North Carolina, is the only member of his family who didn’t attend an HBCU but that hasn’t stopped him from supporting these colleges and universities. To bring more visibility to our HBCUs, Paul has sported HBCU shirts and hoodies before and after games throughout the seasons. He recently announced that he will be producing a docuseries on basketball athletes at HBCUs.

“HBCUs historically have been at a competitive disadvantage with their basketball programs facing many challenges with funding, recruitment, misperceptions, and exposure,” said Paul in a statement. “With the current racial awakening in our country prompting young athletes to look at where they play, it’s now more important than ever to shine a light on HBCUs and showcase their value in sports and society.”

Paul has also partnered with professor Anita Elberse from Harvard Business School to bring her Entertainment, Media, and Sports course to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University aka North Carolina A&T University to create a much-needed path and opportunity for careers in the industry. This course will expand to additional HBCUs in 2021.

There are over 100 HBCUs and with about 19 games left (as of 8/20/2020) for the Oklahoma City Thunder until the 2020 NBA Finals, Paul has plenty of designs to work with. Personally, since CP3 has already worn shoes representing my Alma Mater, Winston-Salem State University, I hope to see a pair representing our Caribbean HBCU family at The University Of The Virgin Islands before OKC leaves the bubble. See the photos below for all the HBCUs he’s spotlighted during the NBA restart so far…

RELATED: Chris Paul To Produce Sports Docu-Series On The Recruiting Struggles HBCUs Face

RELATED: Chris Paul Reveals His Current Relationship With James Harden: “We Don’t Talk, Communicate, Nothing Like That”

RELATED: Lebron James Turns MAGA Hat Into Statement About Breonna Taylor

1. Clark Atlanta University

During Game 7 of the first round of the 2020 Playoffs vs The Houston Rockets, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Clark Atlanta University https://www.cau.edu

2. Spelman College and Morehouse College aka SpelHouse

Before Game 7 of the first round of the 2020 Playoffs vs The Houston Rockets, Chris Paul wore a SpelHouse ‘fit.

https://www.spelman.edu

https://www.morehouse.edu

3. Shaw University

During Game 6 of the first round of the 2020 Playoffs vs The Houston Rockets, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Shaw University https://www.shawu.edu

4. Lincoln University of Missouri

During Game 5 of the first round of the 2020 Playoffs vs The Houston Rockets, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting the late Chadwick Boseman and Lincoln Unversity of Missouri https://www.lincolnu.edu

5. Alabama State University

During Game 4 of the first round of the 2020 Playoffs vs The Houston Rockets, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Alabama State Unversity https://www.alasu.edu/

6. Hampton University

During Game 3 of the first round of the 2020 Playoffs vs The Houston Rockets, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Hampton Unversity http://www.hamptonu.edu/

7. Southern University

During Game 2 of the first round of the 2020 Playoffs vs The Houston Rockets, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Southern University https://www.subr.edu/

8. Winston-Salem State University

During Game 1 of the first round of the 2020 Playoffs vs The Houston Rockets, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Winston-Salem State University http://wssu.edu/

9. North Carolina Central State University

During the Oklahoma City Thunder vs the Los Angeles Clippers game on August 14th, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting North Carolina Central State University https://www.nccu.edu/

10. Langston University

During the Oklahoma City Thunder vs the Miami Heat game on August 12th, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Langston University https://www.langston.edu/

11. Savannah State University

During the Oklahoma City Thunder vs the Phoenix Suns game August 10th, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Savannah State University https://www.savannahstate.edu/

12. Albany State University

During the Oklahoma City Thunder vs the Washington Wizards game on August 9th, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Albany State University https://www.asurams.edu/

13. Livingstone College

Source:Livingstone College

During the Oklahoma City Thunder vs the Memphis Grizzlies game on August 7th, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Livingstone College http://livingstone.edu/

14. Livingstone College

New Orleans Pelicans Forward Zion Williamson joined in too!

15. Howard University

During the Oklahoma City Thunder vs Los Angeles Lakers game on August 5th, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Howard University https://www.howard.edu

16. Alabama A&M University

During the Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets game on August 3rd, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting Alabama A&M University https://www.aamu.edu/

17. North Carolina A&T University

During the Oklahoma City Thunder vs the Utah Jazz game on August 1st, Chris Paul wore sneakers spotlighting North Carolina A&T University https://www.ncat.edu/