Although college basketball seasons is over, hoops fans got the chance to see another game played in Moody Coliseum last weekend by unlikely players. The Heroes Foundation teamed up with the Dallas Mavericks Foundation to put on the first ever Dallas All-Star Celebrity Slam Jam for charity. The sold-out event showcased the skills of 17 celebrities in a laid-back game of basketball held at Moody.
Among the celebrities in attendance were R&B artist Chris Brown, “Superman Returns” actor Brandon Routh, Donald Faison of “Scrubs” fame, former MTV VJ Bill Bellamy, Joel McHale of “The Soup,” and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. The celebrities were split into two teams and donned Mavs jerseys, either the blue road jerseys or the famous P. Diddy-designed green versions, depending on which team they played for.
One of the highlights was the arrival of the entire Mavericks lineup, including NBA MVP frontrunner Dirk Nowitzki who received thunderous applause from the crowd upon his late entrance to Moody. Guard Jason Terry helped coach the blue team for the first half while Jerry Stackhouse provided a similar role for the green bench.
Prior to the game, Cuban promised fans an afternoon of fun.
“Slam Jam is a great chance for fans to cheer on the Mavs before they play their last game and head to the playoffs. It’s really going to be a lot of fun to see the guys coach me and the celebrity wannabes. And I promise, the game is going to be just as high-energy as the ones played at the AAC,” he said.
The two celebrity teams played evenly throughout the first half of the game, but a third quarter breakaway by the green team led by Flex Alexander of “The Hills Have Eyes 2” proved too great for the blue team to answer. Cuban made his only bucket of the game at the final buzzer, but it wasn’t enough to bring his blue team victory as the green team won 70-61.
There was much more to the afternoon than the basketball game itself. For a few brief hours on Saturday, Moody Coliseum was seemingly transformed into the American Airlines Center. The timeout and the halftime breaks of the All-Star Celebrity Slam Jam were filled with entertainment familiar to those who attend Mavericks games. Chris Arnold, AAC’s in-arena emcee, also acted as emcee at the Slam Jam, while the Dallas Mavericks Dancers were on site to pump up the crowd. Similarly, the eclectic Mavs Maniacs performed their popular dance routine and Mavs Man showed off his dunk skills.
The entire afternoon was a kind of no-pressure Mavericks’ event since the team has already secured home court advantage throughout the playoffs. This allowed for Cuban and the Mavs to relax and joke around on the sidelines. Mavericks Head Coach Avery Johnson was also in attendance and spoke to all of the Mavs fans: “We want to thank you for coming. Thank you for your support of the Mavericks,” he said.
