<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Like other Americans, Jazz forward Carlos Boozer has been touched by the devastation and suffering inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. "But the one that hit home with me a few days ago was a news station doing a story on a 7-year-old kid," Boozer said Friday afternoon in a conference call about Sunday's nationally televised NBA Players Hurricane Relief basketball game in Houston. "They were trying to give him toys," Boozer said of the TV footage he saw, "and the kid broke down and started crying and was like, 'These aren't my toys, these aren't my friends, you're not my parents, you're not my brothers.' "The kid ended up losing his mom and dad and both of his brothers, and it just kind of hit home because you've got to put yourself in that situation ? imagine losing your entire family that day. "And so when I got this call to do this event, I was more than motivated and wanted to be as much involved as I can be," Boozer said. Actually, said former Houston Rockets player Kenny Smith, now an analyst for Turner Sports and the one who organized Sunday's game at the Toyota Center to be shown on the cable station TNT at 9 p.m. MDT, Boozer called him and offered his services. "Carlos Boozer found us. He said he wanted to play," said Smith, who figured that his NBA connections and "great phonebook" would help him put the event together. Each player is paying his own travel expenses and will donate at least $10,000, as well as spending time personally handing out relief supplies and greeting victims at some of the 97 shelters in the Houston area. The game will be televised commercial-free, the arena donated its facilities. Smith mentioned calling the agent for Los Angeles Lakers' star Kobe Bryant to ask about his availability and getting a positive response in less than "three minutes." Bryant's agent is Rob Pelinka, also Boozer's agent, and the two have spent part of the summer playing with other pros in Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant and the Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire ? who had already spent $100,000 dispatching trucks loaded with relief supplies to the area ? took part in Friday's teleconference along with Smith and Boozer. Others expected to play include LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers; Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves; Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers; Stephon Marbury, New York Knicks; Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat; Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics; Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat; Antonio McDyess, Detroit Pistons; Steve Francis, Orlando Magic; Sam Cassell, Los Angeles Clippers; Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers; Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons; J.R. Smith, New Orleans Hornets; Dantay Jones, Memphis Grizzlies; Mike James, Houston Rockets; Lindsey Hunter, Detroit Pistons and Derek Anderson, Houston Rockets.</div> Source
