While he’ll be part of his own Dream Team this September when he joins forces with Eminem for four massive concerts, Jay-Z is helping the other Dream Team — aka the U.S. men’s basketball team — kick off a weekend of festivities in NYC with a free concert at Radio City Music Hall Thursday night (Aug. 12), which will also be streamed online for free.
The gig is part of the inaugural World Basketball Festival, a pep rally of sorts for Team USA’s upcoming trip to the FIBA World Championship tournament, which kicks off August 28 in Turkey. At tomorrow night’s event, Jay-Z will perform after an on-court showcase by the members of the U.S. team, including Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, and other NBA stars.
Nike, which sponsors the event, says they’re distributing tickets to community groups and charitable organizations in New York City, and will be giving away loads of tickets through NYC radio station Hot 97, and retailers like Foot Locker and Niketown. Additional info on tickets will be posted at the festival’s Facebook page.
A live webcast of the event begins at 6:30 P.M. EST on Thursday — click here for viewing information.
Jay-Z also worked with Nike to design a limited edition collection of their Air Force One sneakers, which will be auctioned off as a fundraiser for the rapper’s Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. The online auction starts Aug. 12 at 9 A.M. EST here.
Will Jay help pump up the team for a gold medal run in Turkey? Sound off in the comments below.
