The Barclays Center was transformed into \u201cThe Yard.\u201d On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, the Brooklyn Nets hosted their highly anticipated \u201cHBCU Homecoming Presented by Pepsi Bottling Co.\u201d The Nets took on the Charlotte Hornets. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u200bThe evening also included a halftime performance by the Howard University Marching Band, the Nets Beats Drumline, the Brooklynettes (in collaboration with Howard University), and a Divine 9 Step Show.<\/p>\n
\u200bAdditionally, more than 700 local high school students and educators gathered for a college fair at the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center. Everyone in attendance had the opportunity to meet directly with HBCU admissions teams.<\/p>\n
\u200bJackie Wilson, SVP of Social Impact, spoke about how Nets Unite is impacting Brooklyn and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cThe Nets Unite platform is a reflection of who we are as an organization and what we stand for in Brooklyn,\u201d Wilson told HOT97. \u201cIt\u2019s about creating moments that go beyond the game and bringing basketball, culture, music, and community together in a way that feels authentic to this borough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, we talk a lot about \u2018The Brooklyn Way,\u2019 and Nets Unite brings that to life in a very real way,\u201d he continued. It\u2019s rooted in connection, inclusivity, and celebrating the voices and stories that define Brooklyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilson also shared how the Net Unite came about with the HBCU Homecoming.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cHBCU Homecoming, presented by Pepsi Bottling Company, was born from a desire to authentically celebrate the legacy of HBCUs. It\u2019s something that resonates deeply in communities across the country, and in Brooklyn every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we worked with our partners at Pepsi to bring the night to life, it was important that we didn\u2019t just acknowledge that culture. But fully immerse our fans in it. The Howard University Marching Band represents excellence, tradition, and pride, and bringing them to Barclays Center was a natural way to do that,\u201d Wilson continued. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to merge that rich legacy with the global platform we have here. It gives our fans a true taste of the HBCU experience in a way that\u2019s vibrant and meaningful.<\/p>\n
\u200bWilson went on to say that Nets Unite has received an overwhelmingly great response from the local community.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cThe response to Nets Unite has been tremendous. And HBCU Homecoming continues to be one of our most impactful and anticipated nights,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cWhat stands out is that fans aren\u2019t just coming for a game, they\u2019re showing up for a full experience. There\u2019s a different level of energy in the building when people feel personally connected to what\u2019s happening on the court and beyond it.<\/p>\n
\u201cInitiatives like Nets Unite and HBCU Homecoming resonate because they extend beyond a single night,\u201d he added. \u201cThey help us build lasting relationships with our community. And reinforce Barclays Center as a place where people feel seen, celebrated, and represented.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018HBCU HOMECOMING\u2019 WAS A WIN FOR BROOKLYN<\/p>\n
Although the Hornets came out victorious (117\u201386), the night was a resounding victory for the Brooklyn community. It was filled with energy and was a powerful tribute to the legacy of HBCU excellence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Barclays Center was transformed into \u201cThe Yard.\u201d On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, the Brooklyn Nets hosted their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":182382,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[14586,98,100,355,99,73511,59314,73512,9,24,63],"class_list":{"0":"post-182381","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-barclays","9":"tag-brooklyn","10":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","11":"tag-brooklyn-nets","12":"tag-brooklyn-news","13":"tag-divine-9","14":"tag-hbcus","15":"tag-howard-university","16":"tag-new-york","17":"tag-new-york-city","18":"tag-nyc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/182382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}