Kirk Lee, a pillar of the Baltimore community, hosted another successful charity celebrity all-star event at Towson University in front of strong showing north of 3,ooo fans.  Lee, a former Dunbar High School standout, was apart of the legendary national high school champion team of 1985.  Lee is Towson University’s 2^nd all-time leading scorer, played with the New Jersey Nets for a season as an undrafted free agent in 1990-91 before settling in on an outstanding basketball career overseas.  In 1995, Lee began playing in Helsinki, Finland and culminated his four year stint after winning three championships.  Lee returned home in 1999 to play for the Baltimore BayRunners of the IBL (International Basketball League) and received the league’s first Community Service Man of the Year Award.

            
    The Battle of the Beltway matched the Baltimore All Stars versus the DC All Stars. Baltimore and D.C. were both represented well.  The Baltimore lineup included Shawnta Rogers (George Washington), who is playing in Italy, Michael King, who is playing in Greece, Rodney Ellicott, Gary Neal, & Gerald “Gee” Brown.  The DC contingent suited up Lonnie Baxter (Maryland), Tre Kelley (South Carolina) Pops Mensah-Bonsu (George Washington), Nat Burton (Georgetown), and Lonnie ”L-Train” Harrell.  The D.C. stars out dunked the B-More stars,( Bonsu went crazy), but the B-More stars won convincingly.  Gerald “Gee” Brown is known on the courts of the Goodman League in DC by the name of P-Shitty and he was giving it to Nat Burton.  It was like watching game 6 of the NBA Finals again.

            
    The Celebrity game was last of course and once again the game showed most celebrities are just not gifted to play basketball.  Some of the crew from “The Wire” participated.  Snoop, Omar and the little dude that shot Omar played, forgive me for not knowing their real names and besides, when “The Wire” came on, I was watching football.  Delicious from the Flavor of Love was there as a coach.  Delicious lives up to her name, too.  When Delicious ran on the court, all the fellas heart stopped and I can still see her running… Moving On.  Rapper Bossman and a couple of local celebrities played.

            
    The Celebrity athletes put on a show.  Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies put on slam-dunk contest in the game.  Jarrett Jack of the Portland Trailblazers put on a three-point shooting expedition.  L- Train put on a show a little bit and comedian Jay Phillips and former Atlanta Falcon Keion Carpenter tried to put on show.  The Baltimore Ravens’ Terrell Suggs and Mark Clayton played, but Denver Nuggets all-star Carmelo Anthony and soon-to-be lottery pick Michael Beasley sat on the bench and rightfully so.  Fresh off winning his 3^rd NBA title, Sam Cassell played with a smile on his face the whole game, but was jayed from the corner for the winning shot in the one-minute overtime.

            
  The Kirk Lee Foundation has raised over $200,000 for the inner city youth.  Hopefully, the Kirk Lee Foundation can branch to other cities, but right now, Lee is focusing on his city and it’s youth.  Thank you Mr. Lee and hopefully next year, the celebrity all-star game will be bigger.

Written By Barry Barnes