NBA officials previously announced the March 7 event at State Farm Arena in Atlanta will be dedicated to "elevating Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and COVID-19 equity."

In other words, the league wants to help get resources to HBCU students and staff who have been impacted by the pandemic.

And, to put a spotlight on the issue, the league reached out to several HBCU alumni to create custom artwork for the court.

The final product is pretty cool -- it celebrates the culture of HBCUs ... from the spirited marching bands to the focus on education and more.

As part of the festivities, the official student marching bands from Grambling State and Florida A&M will perform during player introductions.

The NBA has also committed $500,000 in scholarship funding to both the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and the United Negro College Fund.

There's an additional $750,000 in funding that will be awarded to the organizations based on various challenges taking place during the game.

For example, whichever team is leading at the end of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarter will be awarded $150k (for each quarter) to donate to one of the orgs.

And, get this ... the 3 main officials working the All-Star Game are all HBCU graduates -- Tom Washington, Courtney Kirkland and Tony Brown.