duncan228
03-21-2009, 10:58 PM
‘Iceman' takes the heat in the name of kids and fun (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Iceman_takes_the_heat_in_the_name_of_kids_and_fun. html)
By Richard Oliver - Express-News
En route to collecting nearly 27,000 points in a Basketball Hall of Fame career, George “Iceman” Gervin made a living out of scoring on other defenseless players.
On Saturday night, he found himself on the receiving end.
At the George Gervin Celebrity Roast at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, the former Spurs great was left helpless by a lineup of former NBA and ABA greats who scored, time and again, at his expense.
“I've had the honor of serving as emcee for several great events over the years, including for John Wooden,” said one-time Spurs headliner and current team analyst Sean Elliott, referring to hosting Wooden's induction into the Pac-10 Hall of Fame.
“Now, I'm here to do this for George Gervin.”
He paused a heartbeat before adding, “Hey, you take what you get in this economy.”
And on it went throughout an uproarious and sometimes impolitic evening of testimonials and jokes that attracted nearly 1,000 donors for the benefit to support the George Gervin Youth Center Capital Expansion Campaign.
Gervin, who will be 57 next month, was left defenseless by a star-studded lineup of roasters including Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Clyde “The Glide” Drexler, and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, among several others.
“I've got a lot of guys with great nicknames here,” said Gervin, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996. “But they all came here tonight for ‘Ice.'”
The basketball luminaries weren't alone. The audience, most of which paid $200 a ticket, included a diverse collection of local politicians, active and retired athletes, Spurs coaches and officials and businessmen.
Among them: Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Isiah Stanback, former Texas football coach Fred Akers and a host of NBA notables, many on the list of the league's 50 Greatest Players with Gervin.
“Every time I saw George Gervin, he was smiling,” former Celtics great Bill Russell said. “And I always wondered, ‘What did he know that I didn't know?' I think he knows where Bernie Madoff hid all the money.”
The event, which included a red-carpet entry for the major attractions, is part of a five-year capital campaign to raise at least $15 million for Gervin's multifaceted youth center.
Spurs owner Peter Holt has contributed $500,000 toward the project.
On Friday, Gervin joined several players in pursuing his second-favorite passion — golf.
Among his frequent partners — and victims — in rounds each year is Erving.
“He's a better golfer than I am,” Erving said just before the ceremony, “but only because he lives here in San Antonio, only because he plays every day and only because I was distracted by some other things over the years, business-wise, while he was out practicing.
“That's my story,” Erving said, “and I'm sticking to it.”
By Richard Oliver - Express-News
En route to collecting nearly 27,000 points in a Basketball Hall of Fame career, George “Iceman” Gervin made a living out of scoring on other defenseless players.
On Saturday night, he found himself on the receiving end.
At the George Gervin Celebrity Roast at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, the former Spurs great was left helpless by a lineup of former NBA and ABA greats who scored, time and again, at his expense.
“I've had the honor of serving as emcee for several great events over the years, including for John Wooden,” said one-time Spurs headliner and current team analyst Sean Elliott, referring to hosting Wooden's induction into the Pac-10 Hall of Fame.
“Now, I'm here to do this for George Gervin.”
He paused a heartbeat before adding, “Hey, you take what you get in this economy.”
And on it went throughout an uproarious and sometimes impolitic evening of testimonials and jokes that attracted nearly 1,000 donors for the benefit to support the George Gervin Youth Center Capital Expansion Campaign.
Gervin, who will be 57 next month, was left defenseless by a star-studded lineup of roasters including Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Clyde “The Glide” Drexler, and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, among several others.
“I've got a lot of guys with great nicknames here,” said Gervin, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996. “But they all came here tonight for ‘Ice.'”
The basketball luminaries weren't alone. The audience, most of which paid $200 a ticket, included a diverse collection of local politicians, active and retired athletes, Spurs coaches and officials and businessmen.
Among them: Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Isiah Stanback, former Texas football coach Fred Akers and a host of NBA notables, many on the list of the league's 50 Greatest Players with Gervin.
“Every time I saw George Gervin, he was smiling,” former Celtics great Bill Russell said. “And I always wondered, ‘What did he know that I didn't know?' I think he knows where Bernie Madoff hid all the money.”
The event, which included a red-carpet entry for the major attractions, is part of a five-year capital campaign to raise at least $15 million for Gervin's multifaceted youth center.
Spurs owner Peter Holt has contributed $500,000 toward the project.
On Friday, Gervin joined several players in pursuing his second-favorite passion — golf.
Among his frequent partners — and victims — in rounds each year is Erving.
“He's a better golfer than I am,” Erving said just before the ceremony, “but only because he lives here in San Antonio, only because he plays every day and only because I was distracted by some other things over the years, business-wise, while he was out practicing.
“That's my story,” Erving said, “and I'm sticking to it.”