The last 2 years Curtis Granderson has put on a celebrity basketball game as a fundraiser for his Grand Kids Foundation. Even though his status as a Tiger was in flux, his commitment to the kids wasn’t and Granderson announced that he will be hosting the event again this season.

This year’s game will be at Birmingham Seaholm on January 24th, and this one is sure to have a little bit of a different flavor. “This will also be an emotional event on a personal level, as it will be somewhat of a goodbye from me to the fans and the city that have supported me so strongly throughout my career so far,” says Granderson.  “I hope that those fans can pack the gym and also raise a lot of money for inner city education in Michigan.”

I’ve attended both of the previous games and it makes for a great family event as all the participants seem to have a lot of fun and there is quite a bit of fan interaction.

This years squads will be coached by Lloyd Carr and new Piston Ben Gordon. Carr was a coach last year, and he’ll having returning player Desmond Howard on his team. Some of the confirmed players include Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, T.J. Duckett, Jeff Grayer, Jemele Hill, and Dana Jacobsen. There are usually some late additions to the roster as well so this list probably isn’t final.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for kids and there is a family 4 pack including 2 adult and 2 child tickets for $100. Tickets and other details are available at www.grandkidsfoundation.com.

It looked to be another successful event for Curtis Granderson and his Grand Kids Foundation. Depite some awful weather, there was still an impressive turnout of both fans and celebrities at Lake Orion High School.

Granderson assembled and impressive roster of celebs and athletes with Michigan ties. The biggest in name value was probably Kid Rock, who did his best Rumeal Robinson impression as he knocked down two free throws with no time remaining to tie the game. It was also his birthday and the crowd sang Happy Birthday.

Curtis served as referee and made sure everyone scored. Miss America Kirsten Haglund and Project Runway dude Joe Faris (who played basketball like you’d expect from someone on Project Runway) were allowed to shoot free throws until they made it. Dana Jacobson knocked down a shot on her own (yes I phrased it that way on purpose).

Lloyd Carr appeared to be really enjoying his time as a coach standing up and yelling directions. He was joined on the Blue sidelines by Marcus Thames who was also smiling (but he just signed a new contract so that might have been it). Braylon Edwards once again put on a show, throwing down some big dunks before losing to Jamal Springs Nelson in a overtime dunk-off.

I’m not sure what the attendance figure was, but it appears that the weekend was successful enough to set up a college scholarship in addition to supporting the work already being done in the inner city schools. If you’d like to donate, or for more on the Grand Kids Foundation, you can check out the website.