Have you heard of Hoops Aid? You will be hearing a lot more of it in years to come as this event is going to be as memorable as the celebrity football tournament Soccer Aid…except it’s on the basketball courts. And not just any old basketball court as the first ever Hoops Aid took place at The Olympic Park in the prestigious Copper Box arena.
There were VIP players on the courts and in the audience. Ripped boxer David Haye and I had clearly matched tops (not many men could pull off pink!). David was there to present to the winners and we bonded about dogs. David has two chihuahuas and I have one. David told me the trick is to feed the dogs chicken, which I do already so it’s all good 
After a warm-up of wheelchair basketball, which was really compelling, it was time to let the celebs onto the court. Dangerous! Leo ‘The Lion’ Ihenacho in the centre of the photo below looked wide-eyed in concentration as he warmed up, trying to get the hang of how small the goal was compared to football. Meanwhile rapper EckSell (in the hat) was rubbing his chin as he got focused.
Shane Lynch from Boyzone (in the centre of the photo below) must have done this before…he’s got a glove which looks pretty pro! Or is that a driving glove? Shane is normally found on the race car circuit…
Now I have a confession…I don’t actually know the name of the team who won. It was the side that Leo wasn’t on, probably because there were more Olympic athletes on the opposing side. To be honest, I was watching both teams as there were celebs on both sides including Olympic triple jumper Phillips Idowu, hurdler Perri Shakes Drayton, retired sprinter John Regis. track athletes Conrad Williams and Martyn Bernard AND pro players including Barry Lamble and women’s champion Julie Page (who was freaking awesome to watch as she barged the men out of the way!)
When I wasn’t watching the court, it was back to the audience as practically every member of Big Brother 2013 was in the audience – Gina Rio, Dexter Koh, Wolfy…all the familiar faces. And I was very intrigued to meet footballer Shaun Batt, who caused history recently when he left Millwall for Leyton Orient. At first, I wondered if he was a model – I mean, look at how much more photogenic he is than footballers like Wayne Rooney or Rio Ferdinand. But this is showing up my lack of footballing knowledge because he’s most interested in football and he’s had a lot of favourable sports press.
If you get the chance to visit Hoops Aid next year then I highly recommend it as the entertainment between quarters is just amazing. My fave song of the day is still echoing in my head. It’s D-Jukes and Sophia May’s All I Want..Is A Drink and a Good Time, You MUST listen to this
And there was an urban dance crew a bit like Diversity and Flawless but all the members were female. Girl Power. This is Limitless
Limitless was a good name for performers doing an event like this as Hoops Aid is all about pushing limits. Pushing sporting limits and pushing the limit of how much it is possible to raise for chairty. It was the branchild of Lance Haggith, who was BBC Sports Personality of The Year Unsung Hero 2010. After his son was diagnosed with Leukeamia, Lance put his organisational skills into doing something to make a difference and Hoops Aid was born. Incredible!
Visit the Hoops Aid website for details of how you can get involved.