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NFL Stars Try Slam-Dunking for AIDS

Photo credit: Maya Gilliam Victor Hobson of the New York Jets and Melyssa Ford of "BET Style" helped raise $25,000 to fight AIDS.

By Roberta Dooms
Black College Wire

Howard University�s Burr Gymnasium was hot and bothered. What seemed like the play of the day went horribly astray. It was early in the first quarter of the game, and wide receiver Rod Gardner was running a fast break. Appearing to have watched a highlight reel for the Houston Rockets' Tracy McGrady, Gardner threw the basketball at the backboard in an attempt to catch the ball and dunk it in, NBA fashion.

There was one problem -- Gardner is in the NFL. Instead of making the basket, he fell. So as he lay face down in embarrassment, opposing-team coaches Kenyon Martin of the Denver Nuggets and Vivica A. Fox, the actress, quickly called a time out.

The almost-spectacular play was part of a celebrity basketball game held during Big Tigger's 4th Annual Celebrity Classic, a charity event. Big Tigger, host of a syndicated radio show, "Live in the Den with Big Tigger," and co-host of "BET Style" on Black Entertainment Television, teamed with his Street Corner Foundation, Inc., to raise awareness about the HIV/AIDS crisis in urban communities.

The game was the highlight of 10 events during the June 17-19 weekend. Athletes and entertainers acted as coaches and players for the teams, called the Bullets and the Wizards. Martin and Fox coached the Wizards. "BET Style" co-host Melyssa Ford, who sat still most of the game after a late entrance, and actress Taraji Henson, who also arrived after introductions, coached the Bullets.

Dressed in dark blue uniforms, the Bullets were led by Terrell Owens, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver. Owens was coming off a 40-point basketball performance at his �Terrell Owens Takes a TO for Charity� at Morehouse College, a benefit for the Alzheimer's Association.

Photo credit: Maya Gilliam Oakland Raider Jerry Porter, left, actress Vivica Fox and Napoleon Harris of the Minnesota Vikings sweltered without air conditioning.

Big Tigger, whose real name reportedly is Darian Morgan, is a Bronx, N.Y., native who attended the University of Maryland, formerly hosted a radio show on Washington�s WPGC-FM, and hosted BET�s "Rap City: The Basement" for five years.

He led the Wizards, who were dressed in white home-team colors.

Tickets were $20, $50 and $100. Some in the $100 seats had an unpleasant visitor -- the sun. Many had to cover their eyes or turn their heads for a large portion of the first half.

Sitting courtside were recording artist Lil' Mo, who during halftime entertained the crowd with some of her past releases and her new single �Dem Boyz�; Dallas Cowboy Eddie George; and, dressed in lime green, Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis, among others.

The game was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m but did not start until around 7. But the biggest problem was the lack of air conditioning. "It was hot as hell in here," said Jerry Porter, Oakland Raiders wide receiver and D.C. native.

In his second year of participation, Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said he wondered why the event had not been held at the historically black university sooner.

Photo credit: Maya Gilliam Big Tigger put together 10 events for the Howard University weekend.

�Last year when I came here, we went to GW," George Washington University. "I was wondering, why not come to Howard?� he said. The previous year, the game was held at Georgetown University.

Two HIV testing programs took place during the weekend, and according to early estimates, about 203 young adults were tested. According to a 2003 U.S. Census Bureau survey, 58.9 percent of the Washington population is African American. But in 2003, African Americans made up 84.2 percent of new AIDS/HIV cases in Washington and 49 percent of AIDS/HIV cases nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Big Tigger's publicist said the event reached its goal of raising $25,000 in grants to be distributed to AIDS-related charities, which include the Street Corner Foundation, Inc., and two D.C. groups, Pediatric AIDS/HIV Care, Inc., and Metro TeenAIDS.

Roberta Dooms is a student at Howard University.

Posted June 30, 2005