Retail Line Celebrating Malcolm X’s Legacy Set to Drop on Feb. 7
Pistons Contributing to Help Fund Detroit Pistons Malcolm X Leadership Award at Wayne State University
DETROIT, MI — February 3, 2025 — The Detroit Pistons announced today a retail capsule celebrating the life and legacy of Malcolm X and his connection to Detroit. The capsule will be available for purchase on Feb. 7, the Detroit Pistons HBCU/NPHC Night, on Pistons313Shop.com and at the Detroit Pistons Team Store at Little Caesars Arena. For more information on the products prior to the on-sale date, please visit Pistons.com/MalcolmX.
The collaboration aims to tell an authentic story of Malcolm X’s time in Detroit and his passion for the empowerment and unification of all people, regardless of color.
“Malcolm X was a humanitarian driven by a profound love for justice and equality for all,” Bilal Saeed, Vice President of Brand & Marketing Strategy said. “His personal journey from Malcolm Little to Detroit Red to Malcolm X, and ultimately Malik El-Shabazz, teaches us the significance of self-education and the willingness to evolve. The narrative of his time in Michigan was pivotal to his journey, yet it remains lesser known. As we have done with previous collaborations such as Motown and J. Dilla, the Pistons aim to educate the basketball world and beyond about Malcolm’s connection to Motown.”
The collection, designed by Detroit artist Wesley Taylor and in conjunction with the Malcolm X Estate, X Legacy, features six pieces – two hoodies and two t-shirts produced by DETail Threads and two hats produced by Mitchell & Ness. Each piece in the capsule will pay homage to Malcolm X and his legacy in celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday this year.
“The partnership between X Legacy and the Detroit Pistons honors Malcolm X’s enduring impact as a revolutionary thinker, leader, and advocate for justice,” the X Legacy Estate said. “Together, we celebrate his 100th birthday by bringing his powerful legacy to life through storytelling, education, and community engagement—reminding us all that progress begins with bold vision and action.”
As a part of the collaboration, the Pistons will also be contributing to help fund the competitive Wayne State University Malcolm X Leadership Award which is issued annually to students in recognition and celebration of their civic engagement, social activism, community empowerment work and/or civil and human right work or related research.
“Wayne State University has been ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation and is regarded as one of the most diverse campuses in the state of Michigan,” Dr. Tareq A. Ramadan, an adjunct interdisciplinary professor of Anthropology and Near Eastern Studies at Wayne State said. “Its students represent a talented, hard-working, and driven community that has helped Detroit become a major center for learning and innovation. It’s also a place Malcolm X, himself, gave a speech at, more than six decades ago in room 101 State Hall (now M. Roy Wilson State Hall room 1101). The Malcolm X Leadership Award, presented through the Department of Anthropology, is designed to reward Wayne State University students who have taken on a leadership role in their community as well as to offset some of the costs associated with research in areas such as social justice and human rights- causes that Malcolm X, himself, dedicated much of his life to. Recipients of this annual award have the opportunity to further their important work, and we are certain that their contributions will have a positive social impact that resonates among the people of Detroit, and beyond.
Malcolm X played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement, with his ties to Detroit serving as a critical foundation in shaping his activism. After his release from prison in 1952, Malcolm X, known as “Detroit Red,” arrived in Detroit before moving in with his brother in Inkster, where he became deeply involved in the Nation of Islam (NOI), which had a strong presence in the city. It was in Detroit that he rose to prominence as a dynamic speaker, advocating for Black empowerment, self-determination and a radical departure from the systemic racism that oppressed African Americans. Detroit, with its rich African American population and history of labor activism, became an essential backdrop for his ideas on Black pride and economic independence. Malcolm X’s time in Detroit set the stage for his transformation into a global figure who sought to challenge racial injustice on both national and international levels.
– pistons.com –
