Kevin Durant to Host All-Star Charity Game in OKC
NBA commissioner David Stern once said Oklahoma City was too small to host an All-Star Game, however the city has proven him wrong. Oklahoma’s capital has created its own version of the event during the NBA lockout.
Oklahoma City and Kevin Durant will host a game involving Blake Griffin, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul on Oct. 23.
Desmond Mason, retired NBA player, helped organize the game that he said was OKC’s version of the All-Star game.
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"It's our version of an All-Star game. It's the next best thing," Mason said in an OKC news conference Wednesday.
"This pretty much an All-Star game, I think. It's going to be a lot of really good basketball players playing all in one game. So, I think it's going to be fun,” he added.
Durant and Griffin will donate a portion of ticket sale proceeds to nonprofit organizations, according to The Miami Herald.
Mason said the event would give players the chance to donate to the cause of their choice.
"It's going to be maximum opportunity to really create proceeds and make large donations to charities that these guys decide to make those donations to," Mason said.
The fact that other players have chosen to pay their own way to the event shows the depth of their support for one another, the retired NBA player stated.
"These guys are flying in on their own dime, they're paying for their own hotel," Mason said. "This is something that Kevin has done and these guys have been doing for each other all summer long.”
Durant has been spotted at courts for other events hosted by NBA players all summer. According to Mason, up to 20 NBA players would be playing on the court at the event hosted by OKC’s star shooting guard.
"A lot of these guys just want to play," Mason said. "Kevin played in most people's games all summer long, and now it's his opportunity to have his own game that he's hosting, along with Blake, and get some of the guys that he's played in their games to come out and play."
