With the lockout threatening to rid us entirely of an NBA season this year and the players losing what has turned out to be quite the PR war, what are they left to do? Give the people what they want, of course!

That’s just what a few of them plan to do. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony will be embarking on a four-city tour next month, providing what will prove to be a rare glimpse of the guys doing what they do best. Dubbed the ‘Homecoming Tour’, it will make a stop in each player’s hometown, beginning in Akron, OH (where James grew up).

Anthony said the following in a press release about the upcoming exhibition series:

“I am so excited to have this opportunity to participate in this tour. To couple two of the things I love to do — play basketball and give back — is special. This is just the beginning of a movement to facilitate change in our communities and I am happy to be a part of a group of guys willing to lead the charge.”

The tour will benefit all four players’ charitable foundations and will provide food drives, educational outreach programs, and sports clinics as well. On top of that, Google+ will be streaming each of the games live!

The tour will include the core four players in every game, along with a few other regulars including Chris Bosh. Other than that, the rosters will inevitably change based on location, with each player being responsible for getting teams together in his respective hometown.

Ticket sales began Tuesday for three of the four games, with the last game’s ticket sales beginning on Wednesday. Training has also started, and surprisingly, it has proven quite rigorous for the players – including D. Wade, who had this to add:

“I’m sore. But that’s why we set it up this way. We want to get into work mode. When we get into the tour, we want to play. We want to be equipped to do that. We don’t want to just run up and down the court and jack up shots. We want to get into the things we need to do when it comes to strength, defense, all those things you usually do in training camp. So we’re getting into that mindset.”

The tour begins with a matchup in James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio on Dec. 1, followed by a Dec. 4 game in New Orleans, a Dec. 7 game in Chicago, and culminates with a Dec. 10 contest in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Charitable events will take place on the days before and after every game in the various locations.

Hopefully, we still have a league and don’t have to resort to social networking sites to get our basketball fix forever.

Source: The Miami Herald

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