Queen of Sports

Ne-Yo Scheduled To Headline Celebration For Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational In Vegas

The 11th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational is kicking off in Las Vegas tomorrow. The first two days of the charity tournament will consist of a celebrity-amateur golf tournament, after which the celebrity-only tournament begins.

The tournament will be held at the exclusive Shadow Creek golf club, marking only the second time the club has ever opened its doors to the public.

On Friday night, an annual gala will be held for the tournament’s celebrities and VIP invited guests. Grammy award-winning artist Ne-Yo will take the stage to perform at Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter.

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, UC San Diego Nevada Cancer Research Institute, James R. Jordan Foundation, Opportunity Village, and Cats Care which is a charity related to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Celebrities and athletes participating include Aaron Rodgers, Wayne Gretzky, Roger Clemens, Maury Povich, LeAnn Rimes, Michael Strahan, and many more.

Photo: MJCIGolf.com

NBA Stars Raising Funds And Awareness For St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital

NBA Cares ambassadors, including Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade will be hitting the court this week shooting hoops not only for their teams but for a worthy cause. Hoops for St. Jude week, which began yesterday, involves NBA players and teams raising awareness about the fight against childhood cancer.

Ambassadors began helping raise awareness about the program prior to this week, and fans can get involved by donating and bidding on an auction online.

“By supporting Hoops for St. Jude fans can help the doctors and scientists continue their lifesaving research and treatment,” said Pau Gasol, who has a background in the medical field. “A donation to St. Jude means not only saving one child’s life, but thousands of children’s lives around the world.”

Programs such as Hoops for St. Jude are crucial for the research hospital. More than 75 percent of the hospital’s $1.7 million-a-day cost  to operate comes from funds obtained through public programs.

To donate or find out more, visit St.Jude.org/Hoops.

Photo: PRNewsFoto/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Magic Johnson Joins Marie Osmond And Other Celebs At Paul Mitchell Event

Magic Johnson attended an event outside the realm of basketball and sports this weekend. Johnson joined other celebrities including Marie Osmond and Tabitha Coffey from Bravo TV’s “Tabitha’s Salon Takeover” at the annual Paul Mitchell Caper Event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The three-day event is held annually for the top Paul Mitchell students and employees as a hands-on educational experience.

Magic Johnson teamed with the hair giant for their annual “FUNraising” campaign, a three-month long fundraising campaign, which raised money for the Magic Johnson Foundation among other charities including the Osmond family’s Children’s Miracle Network .

Photo: PRN / PR Photos

Los Angeles Dodgers Give Back With Community Caravan

Several past and present Los Angeles Dodgers players gave back to their community on the team’s 9th annual community caravan yesterday.

The day began at the Frances Blend School, the only day school day for the blind on the West Coast. The players interacted with students from the school, engaging them in music, sensory, and living skills activities. Later, the caravan headed to the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton. The players had lunch with members of the Compton College baseball and softball teams.

Later, the group headed to Lynwood where they worked on a project for Habitat for Humanity. Finally, the Dodgers, in partnership with the LA84 Foundation and the LA City Department of Parks and Recreation, dedicated a field at the Normandie Recreation Center in the team’s name. The Dodgers Dream Field was the 20th field in the city to be restored over the years.

Yesterday’s caravan was the second day of a two-day tour. On the first day, Clayton Kershaw (who moments earlier had agreed on a two-year deal with the Dodgers to avoid arbitration)  and other teammates visited Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, an elementary school, and a food bank.

Current players involved in the caravan yesterday included James Loney, Javy Guerra, and Jerry Hairston. Former players Lou Johnson, (pictured above with the Compton College baseball team) Bobby Castillo, Maury Wills, and broadcaster Charlie Steiner also participated.

Photos: PRK / PR Photos

Floyd Mayweather Donates $50K To Habitat For Humanity

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. has donated $50,000 to Habitat Humanity for their Blitz Build 2012 program, and has pledged a total of $100,000 to the organization for the project.

The Blitz Build program brings the community and volunteers in to build a new home for a deserving family in only five days. The home being built this year will be located in Vegas Heights for a family of five. Mayweather’s fiance Shantel Jackson was there to present the check to Habitat Humanity along with Mayweather.

Photo: Judy Eddy/WENN.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Donates $100K To Charity

It’s not often boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. is in the news for something good he’s done for others.

Mayweather is set to serve a 90-day jail sentence beginning in June for domestic battery. Part of an agreement his lawyers made with the judge of his case was that Mr. Money would donate $100,000 to a breast cancer support organization. Making good on that promise, he arrived at his gym in Las Vegas yesterday to sign and present a check to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for $100,000.

Wearing a pink sweater and white slacks, he then signed pink boxing gloves which he also donated to the breast cancer research foundation.

Photo: Mr O / Splash News

Clayton And Ellen Kershaw Launch New Book

Left-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw and his wife Ellen held a press conference yesterday at Dodger Stadium to launch their book, Arise. The book chronicles the couples trip to Zambia where Clayton and Ellen along with the organization, Arise Africa are building an orphanage.

“Look where we are now. We’re at Dodger Stadium talking about a book,” Clayton said at the presee conference. “There’s something to be said for that. I think that’s a platform for us. Ellen and I were talking about how awesome it is to have baseball for other things. That’s sort of the whole purpose.”

Like another very popular athlete right now, Clayton and Ellen are devout Christians and share their experiences with faith and giving to others in the new book. You can order the book here.

Photo: PR Photos

Elin Nordegren Donating Parts Of Demolished Mansion To Habitat For Humanity

We reported last week that Tiger Woods’ ex-wife Elin Nordegren had the $12 million home she purchased demolished in order to a build a new one from scratch. The builder of the new home, talking to People magazine, cleared up the reasoning behind the demolition: the home was not built to code to withstand Florida hurricanes.

Another problem with the home was discovered when Nordegren allowed Habitat for Humanity to go through and salvage “tens of thousands of dollars” worth of cabinets, fixtures, and hardware. A carpenter-ant and termite infestation was found in the cabinets and walls of the home. A spokesman for Habitat for Humanity involved in the salvaging said, “When we pulled out the windows, the bugs were everywhere,. To rebuild that house would have been ridiculous. We’re so grateful to Elin. It’s rare we get this kind of donation.”

Photo: Ralph Notaro / Splash News

Athlete Sighting: Rafael Nadal At Charity Event

Rafael Nadal and his foundation along with the SOS Aldeas Infantiles organization hosted a presentation of the project ‘Integration and Sport’ in Barcelona last night. The project aims to provide a better future for young children in Barcelona and Granada. The gala last night was held to raise funds for the project.

Nadal was joined by his girlfriend, Xisca Perello. Other celebrities who attended the event included actresses Paz Vega and Nastassja Kinski.

Photo: G Tres / Splash News

Chicago Bears’ Amobi Okoye Hosted Health And Hope For Africa Concert Gala

Chicago Bears defensive tackle Amobi Okoye co-chaired and hosted an event over the weekend in Chicago which raised funds for The GEANCO Foundation, an organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of impoverished African citizens. The event, a first for the foundation, called the Health and Hope for Africa Concert Gala, was held at the Museum of Science and Industry and was attended by many celebrities and political leaders in the Chicago community.

Okoye, who was born in Nigeria, was joined by another of the foundation’s supporters: American Idol’s Syesha Mercado. Mercado, who was involved in Broadway’s Dreamgirls, performed her debut single, “Christmas Melody.” Illinois Governor Pat Quinn opened the program, urging citizens to show support for GEANCO’s mission. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, and his son, Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. were also in attendance.

The event raised $60,000, which the foundation will use to fund future medical missions to Nigeria and to assist in the building of a hospital.

Photos: Tasos Katopodis, Getty Images North America