Beal says league's support of HBCUs at NBA All-Star Game 'speaks volumes' originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The NBA took a lot of criticism for holding an All-Star Game in the first place, as the world continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Bradley Beal himself was even skeptical.
But after playing in the game on Sunday, Beal came away impressed with how the league turned it all into a good cause by raising awareness and money for historically Black colleges and universities.
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"It's unique on the league, the [players association] and everybody, to come together to recognize the charities and give back to all the HBCUs this weekend. I think that speaks volumes to where we are as a league," Beal said.
"It speaks volumes that we're still trying to empower change in this world and level the playing field in all aspects. Definitely hats off to the league for everything they're doing and for every charity we're out there competing for."
Related: Bradley Beal sets career-high in All-Star Game for losing Team Durant
Beal played for Team Durant, which represented the United Negro College Fund. The only problem is they lost all four quarters, each of which carried with it a donation of hundreds of thousands of dollars to their charity.
As a result of the sweep, Team LeBron got a $1.25 million donation to the Thurgood Marshall Fund. The UNCF got $500,000 as a generous consolation prize.
Beal said playing each quarter for charity brought an interesting dynamic to the game.
"It definitely makes it tough because you want to win for your charity specifically, but at the end of the day there are no losers," he said.
Beal had 26 points, but Team Durant fell to Team Durant 170-150. It wasn't a close game, but at least some good came from it.
