Professional sports have become a haven for those seeking to escape, unwind, and enjoy some entertainment for a few hours. However, all too often, the athletes themselves come under fire from fans due to the amount of money they earn. Granted, the exorbitant sums of cash pro athletes make these days are borderline absurd. But that does not mean that many of them do not do their best to give back. This time, it was for cancer research.
On Friday night, the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation held the 25th Anniversary Celebrity Dinner and Auction at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Sports legends Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Donald, and Barry Bonds were on the docket to receive Lifetime Achievement Awards. Reggie McKnight and RJ Melman garnered recognition for their humanitarian efforts.
Additional celebrity guests in attendance included Cedric the Entertainer, Jon Lovitz, Mario Lopez, Mike Tyson, Sammy Sosa, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Garvey, Sugar Ray Leonard, among many others.
ClutchPoints was invited to cover the event, which raised more than $2.8 million. What a night it was.
Any sports fan on the planet would have felt right at home. The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour (that was more than two hours) as the athletes and celebrities walked the red carpet. Inside, there were several rooms filled with memorabilia for a silent auction, with proceeds going to cancer research.
Everything from signed jerseys, basketballs, bats, to a Babe Ruth signed check, a Rocky Marciano signed photograph of one of his historic knockouts, and much, much more.
But it was not just sports memorabilia up for auction. There was something for everyone in attendance.
Are you a music fan? There were signed guitars from The Beatles, Robert Plant, and Jimmy Page (members of Led Zeppelin), Eric Clapton, and many more.
What about film and television? How about a signed poster from the cast of Friends, or a Gatling gun shadow box piece representing the Godfather, signed by Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Diane Keaton.
Any old school gamers out there? Mike Tyson was in the house Friday night. So to was a signed, framed copy of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out.
There was jewelry, and lavish trips to every corner of the globe up for auction. Again, all going to cancer research. That is something that is near and dear to the Pump family's heart.
Harold Pump passed away in 2000 with cancer. His wife, Carole, died 12 years later. But their sons, Dana and David Pump, have carried their parents' legacy forward through this event. It truly was a blessing and an honor to be in attendance.
Magic Johnson sets the tone for the night
Once the ballroom opened, the actual fun began. College basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb hosted the event for the 15th straight year, providing an ESPY-like feel. He then handed the microphone off to Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson.
Johnson's personable nature and infectious smile set the tone for the night. Magic stunned everyone in attendance by offering up his floor seats (7 tickets) to the Lakers' season opener against the Golden State Warriors. The winning bid was $100,000.
Shortly thereafter, he passed the baton to the auctioneer, who auctioned off trips all around the world, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Carole Pump Women’s Center, the Harold and Carole Pump Department of Radiation Oncology, and the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Cancer Center at Northridge Hospital Medical Center and other non-profit community charities.
Celebrities were then offered the chance to simply donate, without winning anything. Amounts of $50,000, $25,000, $10,000, $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000 were donated. It was both joyful and inspiring to see people help fight cancer, the disease that touches all of us.
Bonds, Gretzky, Donald receive Lifetime Achievement Award
With both the silent and live auctions in the books, it was time for the headliners.
Film maker and die-hard New York Knicks fan Spike Lee was the first to receive his award. He gave an emotional, inspirational speech that had everyone on the edge of their seat.
Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl-winning defensive tackle Aaron Donald was next up. He is known for not being a man of many words, but was appreciative of the award and everything the Pump family has done to a raise funds for cancer research.
Then it was the home run king, Barry Bonds' turn.
“As an honoree, I have a lot of trophies, and I want to present something. The Lifetime Achievement goes to someone more special than me.” He continued, “My mother has always been there for us – she’s the one that took me to little league and made me go play baseball. She never asked for anything. We all got trophies, we all got awards and my mom never wanted to be in the front seat. So this trophy, mom, has your name on it and the only person in our family that's been a Lifetime Achievement person is you.”
He then asked his mother to join him on stage. It was an emotional moment most can relate to.
Hockey's G.O.A.T., Wayne Gretzky, was the final recipient.
While accepting his award, Gretzky shared why he loved being a professional athlete the most.
We don’t play, us athletes, to win championships. We don’t play to win awards… The greatest thing about sports is that the people who are in the games are really nice people.”
All told, this year's celebrity auction dinner nearly $3 million.
The Pump family once again proved that when we stand together, we can all make a difference. Hopefully, one day we will rid this world of cancer and it is through efforts like this that lead the way.
