Chicago will never host a Final Four, as those are only played in domed stadiums these days and we don’t have one. A Super Bowl is never coming here either, as those biggest of the big games are reserved for warm weather climates or cold cities that have domes.
However, this week will see one of the biggest sporting events that Chicago has seen in a very long time as the NBA All-Star Game descends upon the city for the first time since 1988.
One of the biggest and best single NBA All-Star events this week is being headlined by Chicago native Isiah Thomas. The two time NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP and two time NBA All-Star MVP is hosting a charity bowling event in conjunction with the Ladylike Foundation.
The organization, focusing on women empowerment, stages their annual Celebrity Bowling Classic at Kings Dining and Entertainment in Lincoln Park on Friday night. Thomas, rated as the 23rd best player of all time in Bill Simmons’ 2010 “The Book of Basketball,” played for the late, great Gene Pingatore at St. Joseph’s in the western suburbs.
Among the many stellar names slated to join Thomas at the event are Baron Davis, Richard Hamilton, Spencer Haywood, Bulls legend Artis Gilmore, DePaul icon Mark Aguirre, Illini retired number Eddie Johnson, ex-View co-host Star Jones, Yankees legend Dave Winfield and the shortest player in NBA history, Mugsy Bogues.
Kudos to Isiah Thomas for putting this all together.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.