Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Nearly two dozen of the NBA’s top stars will embark on a six-game, two-week, four-continent tour that begins Sunday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
The tour, dubbed the World All-Star Classic, was first reported last week by ESPN.com and has been in the works for the past three months, but terms and logistics are now finalized and an official announcement will be made by the tour’s organizers on Wednesday.
Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant will headline the roster of 18 all-star players, sources said.
The remaining 14 players will be announced Wednesday. LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Carlos Boozer,Tyson Chandler, Steve Nash, Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo and Chris Kaman are among the candidates.
Two rumored participants who definitely won’t be making the trips overseas are reigning NBA MVPDerrick Rose and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.
Rose confirmed his decision to pull out of the tour before playing in a USO-backed exhibition on Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, the first such event featuring active NBA players.
“The scheduling was just too tough,” said Rose, whose USO work will keep him in Hawaii until Friday morning.
Westbrook has also opted to withdraw from the global exhibitions, sources close to tour production told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher. The Thunder’s All-Star point guard could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Tour organizers aim to replace Rose and Westbrook with, among others, Rose’s Bulls teammate,Joakim Noah, the source said.
The tour’s first game will be played Sunday, Oct. 30, in San Juan at Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum. Tickets will go on sale in Puerto Rico on Wednesday afternoon.
The next two games will be on Nov. 1 and 3 at the O2 Arena in London. Game 4 will be played Nov. 6 in Macau in the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Hotel, and the tour will close in Melbourne, Australia with games at Rod Laver Arena on Nov. 8 and 9.
Each player will receive a salary, ranging from six figures to $1 million. Many of the proceeds will go towards charity.
Atlanta businessman Calvin Darden, who sits on the boards of Target, Coca-Cola and Cardinal Health, put the tour together.
WRITTEN BY Chris Broussard is a senior NBA writer for ESPN The Magazine. Information from ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher was used in this report & FULL STORY HERE
Follow Chris Broussard on Twitter:Â @chris_broussard
