Kevin Durant talked over the summer that the exhibition games featuring NBA players were beginning to "get played out" despite his impressive performances in the games featuring the Oklahoma City Thunder star and his basketball-playing brethren. With the NBA lockout now forcing the cancellation of regular season games, however, the young star has decided to go ahead and put on a charity game of his own.
Durant will host a team featuring former University of Oklahoma star Blake Griffin on Thursday, Oct. 27, according to the The Oklahoman. LeBron James has also been confirmed as one of the participants with Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Thunder teammates Russell Westbrook and James Harden also expected to be in attendance at the charity game.
Details of the event are expected to be released at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, according to the report, but not everyone is excited to attend an All-Star basketball game for charity.
"Charity for who?" Brad Valentine, a Thunder season ticket holder, asked the Oklahoman. "The out-of-work players? It's not real basketball. I could care less."
It isn't hard to agree with Valentine's assessment that the exhibition games are "not real basketball." Unfortunately, however, it looks like it might be the only basketball available for the foreseeable future.