On the Beat With Johnny Davis

The 2022 Legends of Basketball Showcase comes to Chicago's United Center on Saturday, December 17, 2022. The inaugural event will feature a college basketball quadruple header.

The four games are:

Session 1:

12:00pm CT: Northern Iowa vs Towson

2:30pm CT: Tulane vs George Mason

Session 2:

7:00pm CT: Dayton vs Wyoming

9:30pm CT: NC State vs Vanderbilt

In October, Intersport, the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), the McLendon Foundation and iNDEMAND jointly presented the inaugural charity game between Gonzaga and Tennessee at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. Aside from great basketball, the event was historic on a larger level.

It was the first pay-per-view national television showing of college basketball. It served as a trial and introduction for raising funds. Based on the success of the event, the partners agreed to extend and discuss expanding the program through 2023.

Tomorrow, I will be “On the Beat” enjoying the roundball action and reporting for The Every Day Fan. This morning, I interviewed NBRPA Chairman Johnny Davis about tomorrow's event and a lot more. That interview is at On the Beat With Johnny Davis.

Also a former player, coach and executive, Davis discussed the experience of winning an NBA championship with the Portland Trailblazers in his rookie season. He also gave his thoughts on the current state fo the NBA, as well as comparing greats of different eras.

We finished the interview focusing on the Legends of Basketball Showcase. Davis admitted he will be rooting for his alma mater Dayton in its game, but he is simply excited for four great games, as am I. Davis talked about the selection of Chicago as the first host and the possibility of future events. Of course, I stated I hoped Chicago would be a permanent home.

This is going to be nirvana for basketball junkies. Four games on one day in one location makes for a fantastic day. Without a real rooting interest, I can just sit back and enjoy the elite play I see on the court. It's going to be a blast watching eight plus hours of ball in the house Jordan built.

The United Center offers plenty of tasty food options. There are also plenty of great restaurants around the stadium for pre- or post-event dining, but I plan on filling up at the UC.

This is going to be an amazing day and the real start of something big. On a wintery Chicago Saturday, there is no place else I'd rather be.