By Delinda Lombardo on
The eighth annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational (MJCI) – held at the Ocean Club Golf Course in the Bahamas – was once again a huge success. Jordan was joined by numerous friends who helped his four-day event raise over $150,00 for several worthy causes including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the James R. Jordan Foundation and the Butch Kerzner Summit Foundation.
Since the MJCI began in 2000, nearly $5 million has been raised for charity, making it one of celebrity golf’s most popular events.
“All year long, I look forward to hosting my friends at the Ocean Club Golf Course,” said Michael Jordan. “There’s no place I’d rather be in January than in the Bahamas, on Paradise Island, raising money for some very worthy causes.”
Celebrity pairings in this year’s tournament included: John Smoltz & Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Brett Hull & Brandi Chastain, Ozzie Smith & Paul O’Neill, Ahmad Rashad & Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Jordan & Toni Kukoc, John Elway & Alonzo Mourning, Richard Dent & Ken Griffey Jr., Stone Phillips & Marcus Allen, Boris Kodjoe & Boris Becker, Mike Piazza & Josh Duhamel, and Bill Clinton & Scott Caan among others.
The event winners, Julius “Dr. J” Erving and John Smoltz, donated their winnings to individual charities close to their hearts. Erving donated $20,000 to the Cory Martin Erving Foundation in honor of his son who passed away in 2000, and Smoltz donated $20,000 to Kings Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta, GA. Paradise Island Tourism Development Association (PITDA) was this year’s Presenting Sponsor. The Jordan Brand and ICON International were also major sponsors, among a range of others.
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