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Laimbeer join list of celebs for flame's golf classic

September 26, 2005 - NBA G League (G League)
Florida Flame News Release


FORT MYERS, Fla., September 21, 2005 - The Florida Flame of the NBA Development League along with Century 21 Sunbelt Realty are proud to announce that Detroit Piston legend, Bill Laimbeer, will participate in the inaugural Florida Flame-Century 21 Sunbelt Celebrity Golf Classic benefiting Easter Seals to be held on October 9 & 10 at the Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs. The celebrity participant field includes other recent additions, including former Boston Celtic great, Jo Jo White, Los Angeles Laker greats, Michael Cooper and Jamaal "Silk" Wilkes, ESPN's Dr. Jack Ramsay, Matt Guokas, and Tate George.

The event will bring participants side-by-side with professional athletes and local celebrities for a two-day event that aims to raise over $400,000 to assist Easter Seals with their efforts to provide equality to children and adults with disabilities.

The event will include a classic Black Tie Dinner and Auction scheduled for Sunday, October 9 and 18-hole golf tournament to be played on Monday, October 10 on the Bay Island and Creekside courses at Bonita Bay Club. Tickets for the Black Tie Charity Dinner and Auction can be purchased for $100. A limited number of tickets are still available. For ticket information contact Tournament Director, Brandon Phillips, at the Florida Flame office at (239) 561-8130.

The classic Black Tie Charity Dinner will be held at the Bonita Bay Club and will be highlighted by a five-course dinner featuring the best Bonita Bay has to offer. The Easter Seals live and silent auction will follow with a vast array of items to be auctioned, including sports merchandise, NBA getaway packages, NFL packages, electronics, fine jewelry, artwork, and various other collectibles provided by local Southwest Florida merchants. Featured auction items include a framed giclee hand-signed by Michael Jordan, a Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio luxury shadowbox including autographed baseballs, and Masters Champions luxury shadowbox with hand-signed Masters scorecards by Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Tiger Woods. All proceeds from the dinner and auction benefit the Easter Seals Camp Challenge.

The 18-hole golf tournament features a modified scramble format along with Hole in One, Longest Drive, and Closest to the Pin contests as well as the Trademark Films Longest Putt Challenge.

An entry fee for individual golfers is $425 with a foursome price of $1700. Contributions include greens fees, golf cart, VIP gift bag, catered lunch, and tickets to the Black Tie Dinner and Auction. Tickets to the black tie dinner can be purchased for $100 by calling (239) 561-8130.

The Florida Flame-Century 21 Sunbelt Celebrity Golf Classic also offers a wide range of sponsorship opportunities and packages. For more information concerning sponsorship opportunities, to participate in the Florida Flame-Century 21 Sunbelt Celebrity Golf Classic & Black Tie Dinner, or donate items to be auctioned, visit the tournament website at www.C21SunbeltCelebrityGolfClassic.com or contact Tournament Director, Brandon Phillips at (239)-561-8130.

About Easter Seals Camp Challenge Located in Sorrento, Florida, near Orlando, Camp Challenge is a 63-acre fully accredited and accessible, outdoor, barrier-free camp which provides children and adults with disabilities the opportunity to learn new skills, be independent and make lifetime friendships. According to the American Camping Association website only two camps in Florida serve campers exclusively with disabilities. Camp Challenge is the only ACA accredited camp in the state that specializes in assisting the needs of both children and adults from throughout Florida. Participation in this year's Florida Flame-Century 21 Sunbelt Celebrity Golf Classic allows for refurbishment of Camp Challenge's pool area, cabins, dining building, pond and pavilion. Updates to each of these areas are vital to the overall experience of each camper's special needs.

Recent Celebrity Participant Additions

Bill Laimbeer - One of the NBA's finest centers throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. In 12 seasons with Detroit, Laimbeer became the Pistons' all-time leader in rebounds and second in games played. Playing the role of head villain, he led the "Bad Boys" of Detroit to back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990. A four-time All-Star, Laimbeer became the 19th player in league history to amass more than 10,000 points and 10,000 rebounds. He had a special talent for defensive rebounding, and he could pump in outside shots and hit free throws. Despite his frequent injuries, Laimbeer was an iron man; his consecutive-game streak of 685 remains among the longest in NBA history. He currently serves as the head coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock, having led the Shock to the 2003 WNBA title.

Jo Jo White -- White played his collegiate ball at Kansas University and was selected as The Sporting News All-American first team in 1968 and 1969. He was selected in the first round of the 1969 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. White played 12 seasons in the NBA, ten with Boston Celtics. He also played with the Golden State Warriors and the Kansas City Kings. Over the course of his career he averaged 17.2 points per game. White played on two NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics, 1974 and 1976. He was chosen NBA Finals MVP in 1976. He was a member of the NBA All-Rookie first team in 1970. He was also a member of the All-NBA second team in 1975 and 1977. He was selected to the NBA All-Star team seven times, from 1971 to 1977. He played on the 1968 gold-medal winning US Olympic team.

Michael Cooper - Head coach of the D-League's Albuquerque Thunderbirds and 12-year NBA veteran, Cooper was a third-round draft choice (60th Overall) by the Lakers in the 1978 NBA Draft after graduating from the University of New Mexico. He earned eight NBA All Defensive Team selections including five First Team honors and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. He spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers and was a member of five NBA Championship teams (1980, ‘82, ‘85, ‘87 and ‘88). Retiring after the 1989-90 season, he was ranked among the club?s all-time top 10 in three-point field goals (378), games played (793), total minutes played (21,784), steals (966), blocked shots (487), assists (3,451), defensive rebounds (1,860), offensive rebounds (682) and free throw percentage (.829). Matt Guokas -- An All-American basketball player at St. Joseph's University, Guokas was a first-round draft choice of Philadelphia 76ers in 1966. He played in the 76ers backcourt for four seasons and was part of their 1967 NBA championship team. After 10 seasons in NBA, with five different teams, Guokas totaled more than 4,000 points, 2,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds. He coached in NBA for 11 years, serving as assistant coach of 76ers for four years under Billy Cunningham and as Sixers head coach for three seasons (1985-88). Guokas also was head coach of Orlando Magic from 1989-1993. He currently works as a television analyst for the Magic on Sunshine Sports and the Magic Sports Network.

Dr. Jack Ramsay -- Few could predict that when Jack Ramsay began his coaching career at two Philadelphia area high schools in 1949, he would win 1,164 games at the high school (66), collegiate (234) and professional (864) levels. In 11 seasons at Saint Joseph's University, Ramsay compiled a 234-72 record, including a run of 10 postseason appearances. Under Ramsay, the Hawks finished third nationally in 1965. In 1966, Ramsay got his first taste of the NBA as the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that captured the NBA world championship. But coaching was always in Ramsay's blood, and over the next two decades, he would return to the sidelines as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, Buffalo Braves, Portland Trail Blazers and the Indiana Pacers. When he retired from the Pacers after seven games in the 1988-89 season, Ramsay had the second most wins in NBA history, only trailing Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach. During his Portland coaching career, the Trail Blazers made the playoffs nine times and won a dramatic NBA championship in 1977. Ramsay spent nine years doing television color commentary for the Miami Heat. He currently works as an analyst for ESPN's NBA "Game of the Week" on radio and serves as the network's NBA basketball analyst.

- Jamaal "Silk" Wilkes -- One of the smoothest, steadiest and most productive forwards to ever play in the NBA, Jamaal "Silk" Wilkes has won championships at the scholastic, collegiate and professional levels. As a two-time All-America at UCLA, Wilkes teamed with Bill Walton to bring UCLA the 1972 and 1973 NCAA titles, and a third place finish in 1974. As a Bruin, Wilkes was part of UCLA teams that won a record 88 consecutive games. In three years at UCLA, Wilkes averaged 15.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg and shot 51.4 percent from the floor. Wilkes was named to the 1972 NCAA All-Tournament Team and was a first-team Academic All-America in 1972, 1973, and 1974. In 12 professional seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers, Wilkes was a member of four NBA championship teams - one with Golden State in 1975, the year he was named Rookie of the Year - and three with the Lakers (1980, 1982, and 1985). For his career, Wilkes scored 14,664 points (17.7 ppg) and pulled down 5,117 rebounds (6.2 rpg). Wilkes averaged 16.1 ppg in 113 NBA playoff games. He played in the 1976, 1981, and 1983 All-Star Games and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team twice. The Sporting News named Wilkes to its NBA All-Pro Second Team three years.

Tate George -- A quality player at the University of Connecticut and a first-round NBA draft pick, Tate George has seen spot duty as a reserve guard in the NBA. For the UConn Huskies, George was a four-year player who averaged in double figures in points as a freshman (10.0 ppg) and a senior (11.5 ppg). George also earned national attention with his miraculous, buzzer-beating jumper to defeat Clemson in the 1990 NCAA Tournament. A native of Newark, New Jersey, George was taken by the New Jersey Nets in the first round (22nd pick overall) of the 1990 NBA Draft.

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