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The Undefeated partners with NMAAHC for first sports forum
Conversation is with basketball legend Oscar Robertson and Howard’s star guard James Daniel
The Undefeated is partnering with the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for The Legend and The Prospect: A Conversation between Oscar Robertson and James “J-Byrd” Daniel III, its first joint sports forum that begins Thursday at 7 p.m. EST in the Oprah Winfrey Theater at the museum.
The forum, which is open to the public, features NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and collegiate player James Daniel III, the Howard University guard who led the nation in scoring last season. It will be hosted by ESPN basketball analyst and columnist for The Undefeated, J.A. Adande. The conversation will focus on pro and college basketball, how the sport has evolved, the lives of the two athletes and their roles and influencers in society.
Though the two athletes have the same sport in common, they’ve both walked very different paths. Robertson, whose success in his 14-season NBA career earned him a place as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, grew up during a time where segregation thwarted the few opportunities afforded to black athletes. Daniel, 22, a senior at Howard University, continues to make waves in college basketball, but might slip under the radar of some pro basketball scouts who often search for talent at larger NCAA Division I schools.
This discussion kicks off the beginning of what is expected to be many forums as a result of the collaboration between The Undefeated and the NMAAHC, according to The Undefeated’s editor-in-chief Kevin Merida.
“We had been talking to the museum about trying to connect our mission with theirs and we talked about wanting to do something bigger together, to have an ongoing discussion series and take the subjects that are in our portfolio — race, sports and culture — and marry them with the things the museum is interested in,” Merida said.
Merida also hopes to continue providing opportunities that generate discussions pertinent to black communities and society as a whole.
“I think it’s great to produce journalism and have lots of creative storytelling on our own site,” Merida said. “I think it’s important to go where people are to be a physical presence, to be a convener, to be a thought leader. Those things are important for our development so that we’re part of helping make the world better.”