Historically Black colleges and universities are not the first places that come to mind when you think of professional sports factories. HBCUs rarely play a significant role in the multimillion-dollar college athletics industry and generally don’t send many players into the professional ranks. But those few alums that do make it to the pros seem to have a knack for making the most of their opportunities. For example, of the 390 players on active rosters at the end of the 2006 NBA regular season, only six were products of HBCUs. But of those six, five were earning paychecks for playoff teams. And after two rounds of playoffs, there are still three HBCU alums chasing the NBA championship trophy.

Jerome James – New York Knicks – Florida A&M University – Drafted in 2^nd Round (36^th overall) of 1998 NBA Draft

Darrell Armstrong – Dallas Mavericks – Fayetteville State University *

Devin Green – Los Angeles Lakers* – Hampton University

Ronald Murray – Cleveland Cavaliers* – Shaw University – Drafted in 2^nd Round (42^nd overall) of 2002 NBA Draft

Ben Wallace – Detroit Pistons – Virginia Union University * – Four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year

Lindsey Hunter – Detroit Pistons – Jackson State University * – Drafted in 1^st Round (10^th overall) of 1993 NBA Draft

* participated in 2006 NBA Playoffs