NBA Lockout Charity Basketball Games: Drew Gooden, Donte Greene Dealing With Competing Bay Area Games

Feature

Goon Squad Classic Brings More Than Hoops Back To Sac

In the midst of the NBA's nuclear winter, Kings fan favorite Donté Greene brought basketball back to Sacramento on Sunday evening. And though the result was meaningless, the gesture wasn't.

Nov 22 10:45a

Update

Drew Gooden Make A Wish Charity Game: Ricky Rubio Shines Among NBA Stars

The NBA stars were out Sunday night at the Cow Palace in Daly City as Bay Area native Drew Gooden hosted his Make-A-Wish Charity game, giving fans a taste of something similar to NBA action amidst the crippling lockout. Both sides were full of talented stars, though it was Ricky Rubio and his first taste of NBA action that stole the show.

The Minnesota Timberwolves point guard showed off skills and interacted with the crowd during the loosely ruled game that raised $10,000 for Gooden's favorite cause, the Make-A-Wish foundation. Rubio eventually came out on the losing side as his Red team fell to the White team 117-92, which had the likes of California native Leon Powe and former Golden State Warrior Al Harrington.

The players played four, 10-minute quarters that included a 15 minute halftime 'show' that was full of big dunks, prime dimes, and lots of laughs.

Rubio drained his first 3-point attempt then timed a perfect alley-oop to DeMar DeRozan for a backdoor slam. He even showed his personable side during the second half when he handed the ball to a fan and asked him to inbound for him.

DeRozan and M.C. Gooden attempted baseline-to-baseline shots during halftime and the game was stopped twice for an on-court shoot-off between players. And when it was time for a sub, players simply jumped on and off the court, taking a page right out of the NHL. DeRozan was said to have had the best dunk of the night, though Joakim Noah unofficially had the the most dunks.

Rubio had nothing but good things to say about his experience:

"It's fun to play with NBA players. It should make it easier when we come back to play."

Rubio signed with the Timberwolves in June, though retains his option to return to Spain, the place where he became the youngest player in the Spanish Professional League at the age of 14 back in 2005. As for the lockout, he's not too worried about it:

"I'm going to stay here for a while to see if we'll play. I can always go back to Spain. So I know I will be playing basketball somewhere this season."

Originally scheduled to be played at the University of San Francisco, the game was switched to the Cow Palace, a much bigger venue, after a concert was canceled.

Nov 21 12:14a by Ernie Pomin

Update

Rosters Set for Drew Gooden Make-A-Wish Charity Game

As the NBA Lockout continues to drag on, current Milwaukee Buck and Bay Area native Drew Gooden has set his roster for his upcoming Bay Area Make-A-Wish Charity game, and it is chock full of top-level talent.

Players who have committed to the event already include the Knicks Amare Stoudemire, the Clippers Eric Gordon, and Golden State Warrrior Dorell Wright, as well as Anderson Varajao, Keith Bogans, Nick Collison, Joakim Noah, Leon Powe, Marquis Daniels, DeMar DeRozan, Al Harrington, Ricky Rubio, Jason Terry, Jordan Hamilton, Arron Afflalo, DeShawn Stevenson, and Shawn Marion.

A varied mix of talent, youth, and experience, it should prove to be quite the game, especially with the normal option of NBA games currently obsolete.

The venue for this game is set for the University of San Francisco, though it has not been completely finalized. It is scheduled to be held on November 20, though a time for the event has not been released either.

Nov 13 12:43p by Ernie Pomin

Update

Bay Area Native Drew Gooden Hosts Make-A-Wish Charity Game At USF

Bay Area native Drew Gooden is trying to stay busy during the NBA Lockout, and what better way to do so than plan a charity basketball game?

Well, that's just what Gooden did, as he will host the Bay Area Make-A-Wish Charity Game on November 20th at the University of San Francisco, and apparently is bringing in some talent to do so.

According to Gooden's twitter feed, the New York Knicks' Amare Stoudemire, Washington Wizards' John Wall, Golden State Warriors' Dorell Wright, Phoenix Suns' Shawn Marion, Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah, and Oklahoma City Thunder's Nick Collison and James Harden are scheduled to play in the event, with more players still to come.

Much of the information of this event is still pending, including tickets:

@MsLaCorte
MsLaCorte Ticket info will be posted soon for @drewgooden1 game. Stay tuned.
Nov 09 via UberSocial for BlackBerryFavorite RetweetReply

Stay with SB Nation Bay Area for updates.

Nov 09 3:23p by Ernie Pomin

Update

Sacramento Kings' Donte Greene Hosts Goon Squad Classic Charity Game

As NBA players around the country bide their time during the NBA lockout, the Sacramento Kings' Donte Greene is hosting his Goon Squad Classic charity game, with a litany of NBA stars slated to take part.

The game is set for November 20th at the UC Davis Pavilion, with all proceeds going to local charities. A number of Sacramento Kings players like Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson, Hassan Whiteside, Jimmer Fredette, and Isaiah Thomas, as well as the Hornets' Quincy Pondexter and former King Spencer Hawes.

The Washington Wizards' John Wall and Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant are both said to be taking part, but each may not be able to make it due to prior engagements with other charity games. The game will apparently be sponsored by Nike as well.

As for the coaches, here's what Greene had to say about it:

Who will coach the two teams? "We really haven't decided the coaches yet. We would have loved to have Bobby Jackson come out. But with the rules and everything, he's not allowed to come out. We're talking to Ticha...Ticha Penicheiro from the Monarchs, trying to get her to come out and be a coach. And trying to get the old guy Francisco (Garcia), come out and be a coach."

Sounds like a it's going to be a good one. Tickets go on sale Thursday.

For more on the Kings, head over to Sactown Royalty.

3:10p by Ernie Pomin

Original Story

NBA Lockout Charity Basketball Games: Drew Gooden, Donte Greene Dealing With Competing Bay Area Games

Northern California basketball fans may be without the NBA for a while, but that doesn't mean they can't catch some NBA action in the mean time.

The Sacramento Kings Donte Greene and Bay Area native Drew Gooden are each hosting separate charity basketball games this fall, in fact, they're both on the same day, and neither one is planing on budging.

@ChrisBHaynes
Chris Haynes@dontegreeneCOS representative was contacted by Drew Gooden's ppls hoping Greene would move #GSC off of Nov. 20. The answer was no.
Nov 09 via Twitter for iPhoneFavorite RetweetReply

Grenne's Goon Squad Classic (GSC) is set to jump off at the UC Davis Pavilion on November 20, as is Drew Gooden's Make-A-Wish Charity game at the University of San Francisco. In all fairness, Greene's was planned before Gooden's but now they have to battle each other for who is going to play in each of their events.

Gooden tweeted some of the players he has slated to play in his event, such as Amare Stoudemire, Dorell Wright, Eric Gordon, Joakim Noah, Shawn Marion, Marquis Daniels, Nick Collison, and more. That more includes John Wall, a person who Greene has also listed as a player in his event.

Uh-oh. Charity basketball game beef.

Aside from Wall, Grenne's marquee name at his event was Kevin Durant, who is scheduled to play in an event in Houston the same day, so may not be able to play. As of now the event will consist of mostly Kings players, including Tyreke Evans and Jimmer Fredette, but still could grab some more names over the next week.

Which one are you going to go to?

2:52p by Ernie Pomin