It's great to see players give of themselves, their money and their time -- each of the players who played paid $10,000 (at least) for the privilege of playing for the relief effort. I was impressed by who showed up to play -- definately a great marque of players.
Marbury is even giving $1 mill to the effort. At least there's some good that has come out of his incredibly high contract! :rolleyes: Okay, sorry -- props to Stephon for setting a standard that I hope other athletes will follow.
Heart of NBA on display
Charity game for Katrina victims a rousing success
By MICHAEL MURPHY
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Just more than a decade ago, Kenny Smith experienced the Rockets' "heart of a champion" ride, which he often has described as one of the most wonderful times of his life.
But in the last few days, Smith says he has experienced something even more moving in his adopted hometown. Smith saw the city of Houston open its arms, its doors, its wallets and its heart to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and it was something he will never forget.
Smith was one of the prime movers in the NBA Players Hurricane Relief Game, which was played Sunday evening at Toyota Center and broadcast on TNT. Smith barely slept during the last week, but all the hours were worth the effort.
"This was the most important basketball game that's ever been played. Ever," said Smith of the game, which raised money and supplies for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. "This game meant more to more people than anything else."
For the record, the West trounced the East 114-95, with the Rockets' Tracy McGrady leading all scorers with 21 points.
But for the crowd of 11,416, which included hundreds of Katrina evacuees, it wasn't just the fact Smith and the NBA cared enough to assemble the game. It was the caliber of players who showed up.
Fans watched McGrady dunk home an alley-oop from Kobe Bryant. They saw Kevin Garnett swat a shot by LeBron James, and they saw Steve Francis throw a no-look pass to a streaking Carmelo Anthony, who smiled to the crowd as he carefully laid the ball in rather than dunking. Amare Stoudemire filled that need by slamming home a missed shot by Dwyane Wade.
The players even got into the act during breaks in the action, with Gilbert Arenas participating in a halftime tumbling exhibition, Francis mixing it up with rope jumpers, and rap star Kanye West getting up during a timeout and giving a quick mini-concert. Dallas guard Jerry Stackhouse even sang the national anthem while Allen Iverson cheered from the sidelines.
It's one thing for NBA players to give their money or their names to a cause. It's quite another for them to give their time. Smith got all three, and it wasn't from any old NBA players. It was from some of the league's biggest stars, each of whom paid a minimum of $10,000 to play. Stephon Marbury, who openly wept during a news conference, pledged almost $1 million.
"We have some of the greatest players in the world here, the greatest in our league, and they supported with their time and their money," said Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson, who coached the West team. "I think that's huge.
"During the season, coaches try to outcoach one another, and players try to outplay one another, but to put that aside for a day and really come together for this humanitarian effort is really commendable."
The event took 30 hours to put together, but for the players involved, it provided a lifetime of memories because it was more than just a pickup game of basketball. Players toured four area shelters and the George R. Brown Convention Center.
"It was inspirational," said Bryant of visiting the evacuees. "I mean, when I say it was inspirational, when we walked into the shelter, we thought it was going to be a really bad sight, and you are going to feel really bad for the people there. But when you walk in, it was really spirited. There was a lot of energy in there and a lot of resolve to bounce back."
Before the game, the players were whisked upstairs for a meet-and-greet with even more evacuees, a 15-minute session that hit Anthony hard.
"It was tough, but it was good to see them smile, knowing what they went through, knowing some of them don't have families," he said. "It's just two people in one family. I met a kid up there that lost his mom and dad and his brother. He was only 10 years old. That's hard for anyone to adjust to."
Smith and the players are doing everything within their power to help get the Katrina victims back on their feet.
"Just the fact that I was able to bring a smile to so many gloomy faces was (unimaginable) to me," Garnett said. "This is my 11th year, and I've never actually gripped the fact that we as players impact so many people."
