“Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor” was never just a slogan for Kappa Alpha Psi. Since seven men in Bloomington and three others built the fraternity into existence on January 5, 1911, the rolls have produced Nobel-stage athletes, Grammy-stage entertainers, statehouse leaders, billion-dollar founders, and an astronaut who walked in space. This guide collects the most famous Nupes across the three arenas the public sees them in most: entertainment, politics, and sports.
Sports: Court, Field, and the Stand for Something Bigger
Colin Kaepernick. NFL Quarterback and Civil Rights Activist. Kaepernick crossed in the Spring of 2010 as a member of the chapter at the University of Nevada and went on to become a household name first as the San Francisco 49ers quarterback and then as the face of the kneeling protest against police brutality, a stand that derailed his football career and made him a global icon for social justice.
Wilt Chamberlain. NBA Hall of Famer. Chamberlain was initiated in 1957 into the fraternity’s Mu chapter while earning his degree at the University of Kansas, and he went on to score 100 points in a single NBA game and become one of basketball’s most generational athletes.
Bill Russell. NBA Champion and Civil Rights Pioneer. Russell won 11 NBA titles with the Boston Celtics and used his platform as a vocal civil rights advocate, earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom for both his sport and his activism.
Arthur Ashe. Tennis Legend and Humanitarian. Ashe crossed in 1963 as a member of the Upsilon chapter while attending UCLA on a tennis scholarship and became the first Black man to win the men’s singles at the US Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open. He later turned his platform toward civil rights and AIDS awareness.
Jalen Rose. NBA Star and Sports Analyst. Rose was a founding member of Michigan’s Fab Five, had a long NBA career, transitioned into broadcasting, and founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in Detroit to empower young students through education.
Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. NBA Star and Head Coach. One of the NBA’s most exciting players in the 1990s, Hardaway turned to coaching after injuries shortened his career and now leads the men’s basketball program at the University of Memphis.
David Justice. MLB All-Star and World Series Champion. Justice was a key contributor to the Atlanta Braves’ 1995 World Series win and remains a mentor figure to young athletes.
Reggie Lewis and Ryan Clark. Boston Celtics Captain and NFL/ESPN Voice. Lewis was a rising NBA All-Star and Celtics captain whose career was cut short by a heart condition. Clark, initiated into the Nu Iota chapter at LSU in 2001, played in the NFL and now hosts on ESPN and the Pivot podcast.
Entertainment, Music, and Film
Cedric the Entertainer. Comedian and Actor. Cedric was initiated in 1984 while attending Southeast Missouri State University. He went on to become one of the “Original Kings of Comedy” and a staple of television and film through The Steve Harvey Show, Barbershop, and The Neighborhood.
John Singleton. Filmmaker and Director. Singleton crossed in April 1987 at USC and became the first African American and the youngest person ever nominated for the Best Director Oscar, for Boyz n the Hood. He also directed Poetic Justice, Baby Boy, and the FX series Snowfall.
Stan Lathan. Television Director and Producer. Lathan, a Penn State Nupe, has directed everything from Def Comedy Jam to Dave Chappelle’s stand-up specials and helped shape the modern comedy landscape.
Montell Jordan. R&B Star Turned Minister. Jordan crossed into the Beta Omega chapter at USC in 1989. His biggest hit, “This Is How We Do It,” earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 38th Grammy Awards in 1996. He later stepped away from music to become a minister.
Marvin Sapp. Gospel Singer and Pastor. Sapp was initiated in March 2009 and performed at the Kappa Alpha Psi conclave that same year.
Lecrae. Grammy-Nominated Gospel Rapper. Lecrae became a member of the Eta Gamma chapter while at Middle Tennessee State University before completing his degree at the University of North Texas and earning Grammy nominations for his music.
Lance Gross. Actor. Gross, known from Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Temptations: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, crossed in 2021 and made a point of telling fans his membership was earned, not honorary.
Y’lan Noel. Actor (Insecure). Before he played Daniel on Insecure, Noel was already a Nupe in the Omicron chapter, attending Morehouse College before transferring to NYU.
Charles S. Dutton and Max Julien. Acclaimed Actors. Dutton, a Yale-trained actor known for Roc, Alien 3, and The Corner, built his career after overcoming incarceration. Julien starred as Goldie in The Mack, a foundational Blaxploitation-era film that redefined how Black masculinity could appear on screen.
Politics, Activism, and Public Voice
Ralph David Abernathy. Civil Rights Strategist. Abernathy was a key architect of the Civil Rights Movement alongside Dr. King. He co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and succeeded King as SCLC president.
Hosea Williams. MLK Lieutenant and Organizer. One of Dr. King’s most trusted lieutenants, Williams led major protest marches and built grassroots civil rights organizing that shaped the movement for decades.
Tommy Smith. Olympic Gold Medalist and Civil Rights Icon. Smith’s Black Power salute on the Olympic medal stand at the 1968 Games became an enduring image of protest and pride and earned him both criticism and respect.
Andre Dickens. Mayor of Atlanta. Dickens crossed in 1995 as a member of the Lambda Delta Chapter while attending the Georgia Institute of Technology and now leads one of the most consequential Black-majority cities in the country.
Marc Lamont Hill. Academic, Author, and Commentator. Hill is a professor and social critic whose work on race, justice, and education shapes national dialogue, and he serves as a cohost on the Joe Budden Podcast.
Pastor Jamal Bryant. Activist and Senior Pastor. Bryant, a Morehouse graduate and life member of the fraternity, has built a national platform combining ministry with civil rights activism, including the recent “Target Fast” campaign in response to corporate DEI rollbacks.
DeMarco Morgan. Broadcast Journalist. Morgan, a former GMA3 cohost, crossed as a member of the Delta Delta Nupes while attending Jackson State University.
Business, Media, and Beyond the Spotlight
Robert “Bob” Johnson. BET Founder and Media Mogul. Johnson founded Black Entertainment Television, built it into the first major Black-owned media network in America, and became America’s first Black billionaire. He pledged Kappa Alpha Psi at the Beta chapter while attending the University of Illinois.
Byron Allen. Media Mogul. Allen turned a modest start in comedy into Entertainment Studios, a portfolio that now spans television, film, and digital platforms and makes him one of the few African American media owners at scale in the world.
Bernard Harris. NASA Astronaut and Physician. Dr. Harris was the first African American to walk in space. As a physician and entrepreneur, he continues to advocate for STEM education, particularly for minority students.
Tavis Smiley. Author and Broadcaster. Smiley crossed during his second year at Indiana University Bloomington. He has interviewed world leaders, written extensively on social issues, and holds the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.
George Fraser. Networking Expert and Author. Fraser founded FraserNet and built a career on books and conferences centered on Black economic empowerment, mentorship, and legacy-building.
The Nupe Legacy in 2026
The fraternity that started as a small circle of Black students at Indiana University in 1911 now carries names that anchor the NBA Hall of Fame, the Best Director Oscar shortlist, the Civil Rights Movement, the White House Medal of Freedom rolls, the BET founding story, and the first African American spacewalk. Every Nupe in those rolls bought into the same line, “Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor,” and the rolls keep growing each pledge season. Today the crimson and cream, the strolling, the shoulder shimmy, and the cane twirl are all carried by the next generation of brothers writing themselves into the same record.
Quick Answers About Famous Nupes
What famous people are Nupes?
The fraternity’s rolls include athletes such as Arthur Ashe, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Colin Kaepernick, Jalen Rose, and Penny Hardaway; entertainers including Cedric the Entertainer, John Singleton, Stan Lathan, Lecrae, Montell Jordan, Marvin Sapp, Y’lan Noel, and Lance Gross; civil rights figures Ralph David Abernathy, Hosea Williams, and Tommy Smith; and business and public-life leaders Bob Johnson, Byron Allen, Bernard Harris, Tavis Smiley, and Andre Dickens.
Who are the famous Kappas in sports?
The widest-known names span the NBA (Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Jalen Rose, Penny Hardaway, Reggie Lewis), the NFL (Colin Kaepernick and ESPN’s Ryan Clark), tennis (Arthur Ashe), and MLB (David Justice).
What fraternity did Jamal Bryant belong to?
Pastor Jamal Bryant is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi. He is a Morehouse College graduate and pledged into the fraternity during his college years.
Which Nupes are still publicly active today?
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, podcaster and professor Marc Lamont Hill, Pastor Jamal Bryant, comedian Cedric the Entertainer, and recent crosser Lance Gross are among the Nupes most active in 2026.