Monday, 7/14/97 Superstars use talents to support charity
BASKETBALL: Celebrities, NBA players take part in game at Pauley
Pavilion
By Tim Yun Daily Bruin Contributor On Saturday night a slew of
NBA superstars set aside their multi-million dollar contracts and
mega-shoe deals to participate in Mitch Richmond’s second annual
Hollywood Hoops for Charity All-Star game. Seattle Supersonic guard
Gary Payton, Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning, Golden State
Warrior forward Chris Mullin, Orlando Magic guard Anfernee
Hardaway, Cleveland Cavalier forward Chris Mills, Indiana Pacer
forward Antonio Davis, Toronto Raptor guard Damon Stoudamire, LA
Sparks guard Tamika Dickson and "Dead Presidents" star Larenz Tate
attended the game, as well as countless of others, who all came to
entertain the crowd and raise money for charity. "I organized this
event not only to provide all these fans with a good time and a
tremendous game, but to raise money for charities that help the
children," Sacramento King guard Mitch Richmond said. The NBA stars
displayed their talents, drawing standing ovations with brilliant
passes and thundering slam dunks. Phoenix guard Michael Finley,
determined not to disappoint the fans, quickly became a crowd
favorite with his gravity-defying slam dunks. Finley stole the show
and stood in the spotlight the whole game even though the
announcer, who is from the LA Sparks, referred to him as Spud Webb
after a dunk. All Finley did was raise his hands in the air and got
a laugh out of the crowd. "I wanted to put on a good show for those
people who came out in support of such a worthy cause." Finley
said. At half time the score was already in the 70s and the dunks
kept rolling. At one point in the game Mitch Richmond lit up the
scoreboard by quickly nailing five-straight three pointers. Former
UC Berkeley forward Shareef Abdul-Rahim also played in the game.
Abdul-Rahim, who starred for the Bears two years ago made his
return to Pauley Pavilion. "It felt real good coming back to Pauley
and playing in front of the crowd and contributing to such a worthy
cause," Abdul-Rahim said. Surprisingly, the NBA players were not
the only ones who showcased their skills on the court. Hollywood
star Dean Cain and Bill Bellamy played well despite being
overmatched by the stars of the NBA. "I thought that playing a game
for charity was a great idea," Cain said. "It’s probably every
celebrity’s dream to come out here and play with the superstars,
and I really enjoyed myself out there." At one point during the
game, Cain was able to steal the ball from Milwaukee Buck guard Ray
Allen and broke away from the pack for a lay-up. "I think that Ray
will give me a lot of flack for that for a long time," Cain said.
In addition to the celebrities on the court, there were several
stars showing their support in the crowd. Among the people who were
spotted in the crowd were rap artist and producer Dr. Dre, R&B
singers Aaliyah and Brian McKnight. McKnight started off the game
with a soulful rendition of the national anthem to kick off the
festivities. "I was rolling … in the neighborhood and decided to
stop by and check out the action." Dr. Dre said. However,
everything did not work out perfectly at the game. Several people
complained about having to pay $50 then not being able to watch the
game because of continuous foot traffic. "I came all the way up
from San Diego and paid the highest price for the best seats," said
Marcus Johnson, a 13-year-old Scottie Pippen fan. "Kids were
walking in front of us the whole game to try and get autographs.
They should have waited for the game to be over because I wanted to
watch the players shoot the rock." When the last shot went through
the hoop most players did not rush off the court, but instead hung
around to talk to the fans. Most of the people were circled around
Penny Hardaway, trying to get autographs. The players were not
giving out autographs but were nice enough to let people take
pictures of them. This was the case of a 12-year-old Penny Hardaway
fanatic. Before the game the child was hyped up to meet his
favorite player, sporting Air Penny Nike’s, an Air Penny shirt and
a Penny hat. "He was a very nice guy and let me get a picture with
him," Jet Jonathan said. "I never ever thought I would get to be so
close to him. This game was a dream come true. I loved it." The
players proved to most of the fans that they were not money hungry.
They let everyone get a picture and talked to everyone while
getting in their cars and limos. After the game was over, several
players commented about playing alongside fellow all-stars for the
benefit of charity. "I had great fun out there and it was
especially rewarding knowing the fact that this night was all in
the name of charity," Spud Webb said. "I think that it was great,
playing in front of the home crowd," Clipper guard Malik Sealy
said. "I think that it was especially rewarding because not only
did we thrill the crowd, but we raised money for charity. Mitch put
together a great weekend and we had a lot of fun." "I think that
tonight went really well." Richmond said. "I think that everyone
who participated had a good time, and I really appreciate the fact
that the players took the time to come out and play." Although NBA
all-stars Scottie Pippin, Charles Barkley and Kevin Garnett did not
play in the game, they showed their support for the cause by making
an appearance at the after-party that was held at Duets on Westwood
Blvd. All of the proceeds from the ticket sales and from the
star-studded after-party, combined with the money raised from a
celebrity golf tournament on Friday, will be donated to the
national chapters of the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People (NAACP) and the United Way. "The bottom line is
that we came out to help the youth," Richmond said.