THE WNBPA and Stephen Curry to Receive Jackie Robinson Sports Awards at 52nd NAACP Image Awards

Ahead of the yearly NAACP Image Awards, the NAACP has announced NBA superstar Stephen Curry and The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) will both receive the Jackie Robinson Sports Awards. Additionally, Misty Copeland will be honored with the prestigious Spingarn Medal, while Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony will receive the Activist of the Year award.

The NAACP Jackie Robinson Sports Awards will be presented to Curry and The WNBPA for their high achievements in athletics in addition to their contributions in the pursuit of social justice, civil rights and community involvement. Previous recipients include Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Jim Brown, The Harlem Globetrotters, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Sugar Ray Leonard, Eddie Robinson, among others.

Check the full list of nominees here.

Stacey Abrams will present Curry with his award during the virtual awards show Friday, March 26th, while Jemele Hill will present the WNBPA award, which will be accepted by WNBPA President and 2016 WNBA Most Valuable Player, Nneka Ogwumike, during the virtual awards show Thursday, March 25th.

On top of the yearly music and entertainment awards, and those listed above, Madison Potts will receive the Youth Activist of the Year award. To keep the momentum alive in a virtual and COVID-19 world, there will be a week-long virtual experience that begins Monday, which will include a virtual red carpet, a curated conversation series, a theatre featuring past performances and speeches, and an after-party celebration following the live show.

The Virtual Experience, presented by Wells Fargo, will invite fans into a curated “Black Excellence” experience right from the comfort of their own home. The experience will include:

• The non-televised awards program will include a pre-awards show hosted by Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner and celebrity presenters Nicole Beharie, the cast of BET’s Bigger, Tamar Braxton, Damson Idris, Daymond John, Leslie Jones, Javicia Leslie, Madalen Mills, MAJOR., Method Man, Retta & Reno Wilson (from Good Girls), Marcus Scribner,  JB Smoove, Terrence Terrell, Susan Kelechi Watson, and CeCe Winans.
• Virtual red carpet hosted by Tanika Ray.
• A conversation and panel series with the NAACP Hollywood Bureau featuring Miles Brown and President Derrick Johnson.
• The Our Stories, Our Culture program including “A Conversation With…” presented by Ford Motor Company which will salute Essential Workers as well as a web series called Fashion Pull-Up hosted by celebrity wardrobe stylists, GooGoo Atkins and Apuje Kalu which will explore the most-notable fashion moments from the NAACP Image Awards’ red carpet.
• The NAACP Theatre will showcase past Image Awards’ performances and speeches. Additionally, all content that airs in the Virtual Experience throughout the week will be made available on-demand the next day in the theatre.
• A virtual photo booth and selfie station, where fans can take a photo with their personal device and post to their social media platforms.
• Post-gala Afterparty immediately following the live broadcast on BET which will feature classic cuts by DJ Questlove, current cuts by DJ Kiss, and a Jazz Lounge performance by Robert Glasper and Lalah Hathaway.

The 52nd NAACP Image Awards will air on BET, and simulcast across ViacomCBS Networks including CBS, BET Her, VH1, MTV, MTV2, and LOGO on Saturday, March 27th, 2021 at 8/7c.