LAS VEGAS -- What does five-time NBA champion Earvin "Magic" Johnson, eight-time Grand Slam singles champion Andre Agassi, Super Bowl champion Frank Hawkins and the 2022-23 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights have in common?

It's quite a mix, but the common denominator is Historic West Las Vegas, the predominately Black community that dates back to an area that was booming in the 1940s and 50s, endured segregation, survived plight and has seen revitalization thanks to many, including the aforementioned sports icons.

The area commonly referred to as "the Westside" is just as popular to Las Vegas historians as Las Vegas Boulevard.

While the efforts of Agassi, Johnson and Hawkins date back to the 1990s, the Golden Knights organization wasted no time since its arrival in Southern Nevada to ensure the entire community is included while introducing hockey to local residents.

"We still have a long way to go, but I can see the strides we're making and we're working towards positivity in the best way possible," said Carnell Johnson, the trained opera singer affectionately known as Golden Pipes. "Especially with something like hockey. You see a lot of African American kids out there playing basketball, playing football. You don't see a lot of them playing hockey.

"And so it's kind of cool seeing those programs in schools, inner-city schools, where there's high African American population getting these kids out and teaching them a game that we've all grown to know and love."

Prior to belting out the Star Spangled Banner before Saturday night's game against Vancouver, Johnson beamed with pride sitting alongside dee jay Joe Green, emcee Robert 'Bojo' Ackah and senior motion graphic designer Jalen Jones.

The quartet held an impromptu press conference and discussed their roles with the organization and the significance of the team's annual celebration of Black History Month.

PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE ME

"It's amazing," said Green, who's been providing reverberating vibes throughout T-Mobile Arena since the team arrived. "Being born here and seeing the city develop into a position where people who look like me and my children want to be involved in hockey or look at me and say, 'Hey, I want to do that. I want to be a part of this. I want to be a part of this organization that embraces individuality and different cultures.'

"It's beautiful. I love it."

For Jones, the pride carried a different vibe.

"A lot of the people that we idolize are either athletes or musicians," Jones said. "So being able to be in the position that I'm in as a motion graphics person, like this wasn't something that I knew I could even do growing up. So to be in this position and then be able to go to schools, or be in the community, see little kids coming up and show them what I do, they're like, 'Woah, that's super cool. I didn't know that was a thing that you could do.' I didn't either."

Now that he does, on a professional sports level, Jones said it was rewarding and gratifying to design a logo that provided an uplifting tone for Saturday's celebration of Black History. The logo's theme "Black History Means" shines a spotlight on the positive aspects and contributions of Black people and their history. The logo was showcased on KnightTron, the gameday poster and throughout T-Mobile Arena during the game, won by the Golden Knights, 3-1.

It marked the fourth consecutive year that Jones has created unique VGK artwork for Black History Month.

"We have a history of trauma in the United States, that's no secret," Jones said. "But we also have all these other things that encompass what we are and what we've done, and I think that's important to know, remember and keep in our minds moving forward."

Ackah, who locals have recognized as in-arena host "Bojo" for years, said he's felt the organization's vibe since the very first home game when he attended a fan and vowed to one day hold a microphone atop "The Fortress."

"With this organization, when it came into its existence, they grasped the entire city," Ackah said. "And whether you were White, Black, Brown - they grasped everybody. I wasn't with the organization in 2017 and I was at game one. Obviously right after Oct. 1 ... the way the team embraced the city when we were all hurting, it didn't matter what color you were, it's just something that you wanted to be a part of.

"It didn't even matter if you're a hockey fan. I wasn't the biggest hockey fan. I'm a sports fan that was very passionate about this city. And I saw what the Golden Knights organization, the team, how they were here to support our city, and I was all in and I was like, 'One day, I know I'm rocking the mic. I gotta rock the mic for this organization.' And so it just all made sense for me."

GETTING INVOLVED

Since their arrival, the Golden Knights have seen hockey participation grow exponentially. They've also infused themselves into pockets of Southern Nevada by installing ball hockey rinks and holding clinics at various community centers, including Historic West Las Vegas.

Most recently, the Golden Knights, the Donna Street Community Center and national nonprofit KABOOM! constructed a new playground at Centennial Park Apartments in North Las Vegas at an area that was once riddled with crime and known as claimed territory for a specific gang.

Hawkins, who played football at Western High School before attending Nevada and eventually winning a Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Raiders, returned home and helped revitalize many areas while entering the political realm. His involvement during his term as city councilman and thereafter as a consultant and businessman has resulted in the investment of more than $100 million in building single-family homes and affordable senior and family apartments over the last 25 years.

Agassi was an investor in a Boys and Girls Club and created a charter school and after the riots in 1992 resulting from the Rodney King verdict, Johnson helped fund the rebuild of one of the most famous shopping centers in Historic West Las Vegas, the Nucleus Plaza.

"I love this city, and the Black community is as historic as any other community," Hawkins said. "Magic Johnson has invested his time, millions of dollars, and his big smile in the Las Vegas community. Andre Agassi, a local boy, has given back to his community by building charter schools, and community centers, investing millions.

"So I was impressed to see the Golden Knights in my neighborhood Smith's giving away gift cards to the community during Christmas."

Ackah said it comes down to representation by allowing others to see the path laid for him, Green, Johnson and Jones, and following the trail they're hoping to blaze for the next generation.

"Ultimately, we look like the city," Ackah said. "This is such a diverse city, and the fact that it's hockey, it almost makes sense because, hey, you know what maybe the guys on the ice might be more Caucasian, but I'm sorry, the rest of the city looks like us. It's such a diverse city, and the way that we can represent for the team, it just makes such a world of a difference for others, and especially our kids and the ones coming up after us.

"I think there's got to be a sense of pride knowing where we're at right now and how things used to be. We wouldn't be here for those who blazed the path for us prior. But now we're here, and we take pride in that. And so now, hopefully, we're knocking down doors for people coming after us."

Added Green: "It's our turn to do the same."