Legendary Boxing Promoter Don King To Get Award In Las Vegas

International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Don “Only in America” King will be in Las Vegas on Friday to accept a Sam Lacy Pioneer Award from the Sports Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists at their 32nd Annual Convention being held at Bally’s.

The task force is comprised of black print and broadcast sports journalist from across the country. The Pioneer Award is the organization’s highest honor, and King will share the stage at the awards ceremony with fellow recipients that have special Nevada ties including boxing referee Richard Steele; Sacramento Kings head coach and former UNLV star Reggie Theus; ESPN NBA analyst and former UNLV standout Greg Anthony; UNLV women’s basketball coach Regina Miller; and former University of Nevada-Reno women’s athletics administrator Dr. Angela Taylor.

“This is a truly great honor for me to be recognized with a Pioneer Award by the august members of the National Association of Black Journalists Sports Task Force while they are convening at their 32nd annual convention,” King said. “These are people I respect and admire. I look forward to joining them and the other Pioneer Award recipients at this celebration of the human spirit.”

The awards ceremony is being co-hosted by Ron Thomas, a sports writer for 34 years who was just named the first director of Morehouse College’s journalism and sports program, and Mike Terry, a longtime sports writer for the Los Angeles Times covering college and professional sports.

The award is named after Sam Lacy, a trailblazing black sportswriter who was heavily involved in Jackie Robinson’s entrance into Major League Baseball. When he died at the age of 99, Lacy was still writing a weekly column for the Baltimore Afro-American.

The festivities are part of the NABJ task force’s convention, taking place for the first time in Las Vegas, which is ongoing through Aug. 12.

King will also take part in a special workshop earlier in the day on Friday beginning at 4 p.m. titled Is Boxing Down for the Count?

The promotional legend will be joined on a star-studded panel consisting of President of HBO Sports Ross Greenburg; Senior Vice President/General Manager of Showtime Sports Events Programming Ken Hershman; Hall of Fame boxing promoter Bob Arum; undefeated six-time world champion in five separate weight divisions “Pretty Boy’ Floyd Mayweather Jr.; and New York Daily News sports columnist and longtime boxing scribe Tim Smith.

New York Post sports columnist George Willis coordinated the workshop, and USA Today boxing writer Chuck Johnson will serve as moderator during the 90-minute discussion beginning at 4 p.m.

The workshop will be held on Friday in the Bronze Room 1 at Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Seating is limited and only registered members of the NABJ convention and special guests will be allowed to attend.

The awards ceremony will take place at a dinner, also at Bally’s Las Vegas from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

NABJ is an organization of journalists, students and media-related professionals. Founded in 1975, it is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation.