The New Jersey Nets have teamed with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and Volvo to auction off a unique item that has been signed by over 50 current NBA players with proceeds to benefit the fight agaisnt childhood cancer.
Throughout the past several months, LeBron James, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin, as well as Basketball Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Clyde Drexler have all signed the hood of a Volvo automobile.
All of the proceeds will benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), which was created by childhood cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). At the age of four, Alex came up with the idea to host lemonade stands to help doctors on their way to finding a cure for all kids with cancer.
The hood provided by Volvo, a founding sponsor of ALSF, had been placed this season at the entrance to the visiting locker room at Nets games at Prudential Center. The auction for the hood is being held by Steiner Sports.
The Nets unveiled the hood during an on-court ceremony earlier this season.
During his time as the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, Billy King met Alex, a native of the Philadelphia suburb of Wynnewood, on several occasions. After her passing, King remained in close contact with Alex’s parents and became a board member for the Foundation.
“Alex had such incredible courage and a determination to help others that is beyond belief for someone so young,” said King. “I am proud to have known Alex and will always value the impact she had on my life. I want to thank all of the NBA players for taking the time to sign the hood and for being part of Alex’s mission to fight childhood cancer.”
“When we realized that our corporate partner Volvo’s charity of choice happened to be dear to Billy King’s heart, we knew that we wanted to do something special to support Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation,” said Chris Brahe, Senior Vice President of Partnership Sales. “With Billy’s assistance, we were able to secure autographs on a Volvo hood from the best players in the NBA. We are confident that this unique item will help raise a lot of money for this important cause and we thank Volvo for its support.”
“When we first heard the idea behind the hood, we were thrilled,” said Alex’s mother Liz. “And seeing how the Nets organization has overseen each and every detail has only furthered our excitement for this one-of-a-kind auction. We cannot wait to see the final results.”
In her lifetime, Alex raised over $1 million, and though she passed away in 2004, thousands of volunteers across the country continue to host Alex’s Lemonade Stands annually in an effort to raise money for pediatric cancer research. ALSF has raised over $40 million since its inception and funded over 150 research projects at leading hospitals and institutions across the country.
Bidding starts at $10,000. To see the names of the 50 players who’ve signed the hood, and bid on it, click here.
