Aggie Nation Makes Major Statement at NBA HBCU Classic in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (Feb.17, 2026) – More than 600 alumni from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University flocked to Los Angeles over the weekend where they watched the men’s basketball team beat Hampton University 71-70 in the NBA HBCU Classic, a nail-biter that instantly became a college basketball classic.

N.C. A&T alumni enjoyed numerous “Aggies in LA” events throughout the four-day experience, from a welcome event at downtown Los Angeles’ L.A. Live event center Thursday to NBA All Star 2026 on Sunday. For A&T attendees, highlights in addition to Friday night’s win were a packed pre-game mixer Friday and a successful fundraising dinner Saturday, both at Hyatt Regency LAX.

“Aggies make a difference,” said Tamara Michel Josserand, vice chancellor for Advancement. “It was wonderful to see the energy, enthusiasm and investment of the Aggies who showed up from all over the country to celebrate our students, celebrate our moment in the national spotlight and celebrate being Aggies.”

Aggies from around the country began arriving in Los Angeles as early as Tuesday to enjoy sunny Southern California and get ready for the weekend’s festivities. Activities began in earnest Thursday night with a welcome event for both A&T and Hampton at L.A. Live featuring a battle of the bands, music, games and a massive Foot Locker merchandise pop-up.

Aggies gathered at the Hyatt on Friday for two big events: an invitation-only morning meet-and-greet with NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson as well as the afternoon pre-game mixer, where hundreds of attendees enjoyed a generous buffet, music and remarks from Chancellor James R. Martin II and legendary A&T alumnus Willie A. Deese ’77, who is chairing the All Aggies, All In athletics capital campaign.

From there, attendees flocked to the Kia Forum, former home of the L.A. Lakers, for the HBCU Classic. The game was highly competitive from the jump. While the Aggies scored the first points of the game, Hampton pushed back in front, sometimes leading by as many as 9 points, but the Aggies clawed their way back in the final 2 minutes of the game for an electrifying victory.

The sold-out arena erupted, and the game’s wild finish quickly showed up on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

But the excitement wasn’t over for A&T. Saturday night saw 300 Aggies gather for “Aggie Love: From the Heart to the Sole,” a dinner to raise funds for the All Aggies, All In campaign. The inaugural fundraising event for Aggie Athletics was a resounding success, raising nearly $320,000.

“We love to see such strong support for our student-athletes, both in competition and in the classroom,” said W. Thomas Stanley, a member of the university’s Board of Trustees and All Aggies, All In campaign co-chair. “We are excited to build on the momentum of this historic fundraiser to elevate North Carolina A&T athletics to the next level.”