ESPN’s The Undefeated and the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will present The Legend and The Prospect: A Conversation between Oscar Robertson and James “J-Byrd” Daniel III – a public forum with the NBA Hall-of-Famer and the high-scoring Howard University men’s basketball guard.
The forum will be held Thursday, October 27, at 7:00 pm ET in the Oprah Winfrey Theater at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, 1400 Constitution Avenue, NW, in Washington, D.C. Members of the public and the media are invited to attend.
The Undefeated columnist J.A. Adande, a renowned sport journalist and former ESPN basketball reporter/analyst, will moderate the intimate conversation focusing on pro and college basketball – two days after the start of the 2016-2017 NBA season, social activism, and other subjects in between.
The panelists:
- Known by sports fans as “The Big O,” Robertson was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980. As a 6-foot-5, 220-pound guard, Robertson was a pioneer as an “all-around” player whose versatility on the court became the standard upon which others are judged. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in the NBA History in 1996. Beyond his playing career, Robertson led the NBA Players Association to file the anti-trust suit against the league in 1970 – one of the most important cases for players’ rights in professional sports. After he retired from the NBA, Robertson worked to provide affordable housing and improve living conditions for African-Americans in his hometown of Indianapolis. He has remained a sought after voice and social critic of policies that adversely affect the minority population in the country.
- James “J-Byrd” Daniel, III, is a member of the Howard University men’s basketball team. The 5-foot-11 senior point guard averaged 27.1 points per game, making him the nation’s leading scorer in Division I men’s basketball in 2015-2016 season.
The Undefeated is ESPN’s multiplatform content initiative exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture. The digital hub, TheUndefeated.com, which launched in May 2016, combines innovative long-form and short-form storytelling, investigation, original reporting and provocative commentary to enlighten and entertain African Americans, as well as sports fans seeking a deeper understanding of black athletes, culture and related issues.
In addition to its cutting-edge content, The Undefeated seeks to be a thought-leader on race, sports and culture in the country – convening insightful forums to discuss and debate topical issues affecting sports and race in America.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture was established as the 19th Smithsonian museum by an Act of Congress through legislation signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2003. Groundbreaking occurred in 2012. The museum occupies a prime location in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall at the corner of Constitution Avenue at 14th Street, across from the Washington Monument. The nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American experience.
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