NBA All-Stars and Hollywood Celebrities Rock the USC campus for the LA Stars 2nd Annual Basketball Game and Carnival

By Brittany Graham

The California weather so well-known for its beautiful sunshine and cool breezes surpassed expectations this past Sunday and did not disappoint the hundreds of people who journeyed from all over the U.S. to attend the 2nd Annual LA Stars Celebrity and NBA All-Star Basketball Games, as well as the adjoining LA Stars inaugural “Carnival for the Community”, both hosted by Baron Davis and Paul Pierce. Excitement was in the air as people, young and old alike, eagerly watched the Hood Games, an urban extreme sport competition held at the carnival on the illustrious USC campus. Attendees at the carnival were also delighted to see professional athletes and celebrities such as Nick Cannon, Donald Faison, and Jackie Long participate in various carnival booths and interactive presentations such as break dancing, cardio, Double Dutch and food showcases that demonstrated unique and creative ways to live a healthy lifestyle and stick to a nutritious meal-plan. 

The Celebrity and NBA All-Star Basketball game held in the USC Galen Center, was even more earnestly sought out than the carnival, and actually turned out to be an un-anticipated indulgence of two equally entertaining games. The first game was an all Celebrity game composed of blue and white colored oppositional teams comprised of both musicians and actors. The “Blue Team” included easily recognizable stars such as Snoop Dogg, Bill Bellamy, Ray J, Allison Sweeney, Donald Faison, and Brian White. The “White Team” included Flex Alexander, Brandon Routh, Jackie Long and many more. The score was tied for most of the game until the end of the 3rd quarter when the “White Team” began to take the lead. The “Blue Team” put in an outstanding effort to increase the growing distance between the two scores but with players such as Snoop and Donald Faison continuously shooting two’s and three’s, the “White Team” was able to unmercifully crush the opposition, winning the game with a score of 85 to 75. 

Amazingly enough, the celebrity line-up didn’t stop there. Countless other celebrities such as Brandy, Tichina Arnold, Master P, Lil’ Romeo, and Tia Mowry were on hand to simply show support for the LA Stars, sign autographs, and enjoy the game. Onye Ibekwe of the San Francisco 49ers was yet another famous athletic face to grace the game. Ibekwe was there to promote another big charity event, “The HoopLove2k 1st Annual Day Camp”, taking place on August 18th at Carson High School in Carson, whose “main goal is to help raise the confidence of children partnered with basketball instruction”. 

Although the Celebrity game was wildly entertaining, it was only the icing on the cake in comparison to the NBA All-Star game. Professional players from the NBA who currently played for or originally called Los Angeles their home made up the “LA Stars Team”. Players from various other cities across the United States were designated to the “NBA Stars Team”. The “LA Stars” included players such as Arron Afflalo of the Detroit Pistons, Jordan Farmar of the Los Angeles Lakers, Baron Davis of the Golden State Warriors, Ryan Hollins of the Charlotte Bobcats, and Gabe Pruitt of the Boston Celtics. Conversely, the “NBA Stars” had names such as Ricky Davis of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets, Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics, Nick Young of the Washington Wizards, Tyson Chandler of the New Orleans Hornets, and Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz.

The athletes played an incredible game full of uncountable dunks and impressive plays run by teammates who remained smiling the entire game. It was basketball at its best and spectators were able to witness the competitors simply playing their heart out for the sheer fun of it with no hindrances resulting from stress over the outcome of the game. It was clearly evident that the players were glad to be there for a good cause and to play with other professionals in the League that they normally didn’t have the opportunity to play on the same team with. It was a close game, but as in the game before the “LA Stars” were able to triumph over the “NBA Stars” with a lead of ten points, resulting in a score of 140 to 130.

The Sunday events were the grand finale to the LA Stars Charity Weekend, preceded by “The Legacy Project” at Richardson Park on Friday August 3rd and the “LA Stars on Rodeo Experience” on the 200 block of Rodeo Drive on Saturday. Originally, legendary NBA player, Earvin “Magic” Johnson held A Midsummer Night’s Magic for the city of Los Angeles, which was the beginning of the LA Stars legacy. Magic Johnson kept the program going for twenty years before passing the responsibility of the charitable event group over to Paul Pierce and Baron Davis, who took oaths to continue the dedication of raising funds to improve the communities, quality of living, and increased opportunities for under-privileged youth and their families living in the Los Angeles area and surrounding communities. The LA Stars “Carnival for the Community” and the proceeding “Celebrity and NBA All-Star Basketball Games” were without a doubt, a complete success and guaranteed pursuance of the continued mission of LA Stars to give back to Los Angeles youth.

LA Stars: www.lastars.net
USC: www.usc.edu
HoopLove2k 1st Annual Day Camp: www.hooplove.net