Sunday basketball game in Wells Fargo arena draws big-names, raises money for African AIDS clinic
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash drew loud cheers from the crowd when he made a surprise appearance at a celebrity basketball game Sunday at ASU's Wells Fargo Arena.
The charity game, which benefited an African AIDS clinic, turned into a nail-biter when two teams made up of basketball, football and broadcasting greats fought for victory in a last-minute, three-point battle.
The Wild Wings — coached by Nash and made up of local celebrities including former Suns Vinny del Negro and Dan Majerle, FOX 10 sports anchor Jude LaCava and Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald — won the game with 74 points to the Electric Bankers' 71.
The Bankers, coached by Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, included former Sun Eddie Johnson and FOX 10 news anchor Troy Hayden.
FOX 10 sports anchor Gayle Jansen organized the game to benefit the Partners in Hope Medical Centre, an AIDS clinic her brother, Dr. Perry Jansen, runs in Malawi, a central African nation of about 14 million.
"This is our main fundraiser for the year," Perry Jansen said.
Jensen said his center helps about 3,000 AIDS patients per month with treatment that costs $25 per patient.
"The demand is well beyond [those 3,000 people]," he added.
During timeouts and half-time, performers including former Arizona Idol winner Bethany Wright, the Suns Cheerleaders and an ethnic drum group from Burundi — a central African country — entertained the game's spectators. The event included dozens of athletes, broadcasters and artists who volunteered their time to expand the Malawi facility.
"Hopefully we made a little difference here today," Warner said.
He was disappointed NBA legend Charles Barkley, who was scheduled to coach the opposing Wild Wings, couldn't make it to the event.
"I always miss Charles," he said.
Gayle Jansen, too, said she was disappointed Barkley didn't show, but surprised visitors when, with about 10 minutes left in the game, she introduced Nash as Barkley's replacement.
Jensen said she approached Nash at yesterday's Suns' practice and was very grateful to him for filling in for Barkley.
"That really made the event for me," she said.
Jensen added that visiting her brother in Africa several times and experiencing the slums of Kenya and Malawi firsthand compelled her to organize the celebrity game for the second year in a row.
"I have these sports connections," Jensen said. "What is it to ask a couple of hours of these guys?"
The event drew a crowd that filled about half of the arena's lower ranks. The $10 and $75 that spectators paid for their tickets will directly benefit Malawian AIDS patients, Perry Jensen said.
Jerry Fletcher, of Mesa, said knowing his money would go straight to the patients motivated him to bid $2,000 in an eBay auction, a contribution that earned him a spot on the Wild Wings team.
"It was a lot of fun for a guy who basically played high school basketball," Fletcher said. "[And] we felt like it was for a good cause."
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