16 YEARS AGO!

June 30, 2007 1st Kerry Rhodes Foundation Celebrity Basketball Game in Bessemer, AL at Jess Lanier High School (Kerry’s Alma Marta) during the 1st Kerry Rhodes Celebrity Weekend. 

After Neeta & I starting IDEAL PR In 2003 (More of that story in one of the upcoming #StorytimeSeries), NFL Player Kerry Rhodes became a new client in 2005 as a Rookie for NY Jets as a Strong Safety.  This wasn’t our first event for Kerry but this was the 1st Celebrity Weekend for the Kerry Rhodes Foundation. 

Ideal PR produced an entire weekend of events and brought over 20+ Celebrities to Birmingham|Bessemer AL.  The events for the weekend included a Welcome Fashion Show with the late Celebrity Designer Mychael Knight (Project Runway), a Celebrity Basketball Game Hosted by Comedian & Actor Carl Payne, a Private Dinner at Fleming’s Steakhouse and an After Party at Club Red.  Bessemer had never seen such a thing.  We set the city ON FIRE! 

The Celebrity Basketball Game began with Singer Melody Thornton of the Pussycat Dolls sang the National Anthem with her powerful voice.  The game was commentated by the hilarious Comedian Carl Payne and the Scorekeeper was Model Melyssa Ford and Actor Marcus Paulk from Moesha was the games MVP.  Honorary Coach of Team RHODES was Singer KeKe Wyatt & America’s Next Top Model Danielle ‘Dani’ Evans was Honorary Coach of Team HOLLYWOOD.  Team Rhodes WON! 

Kerry Rhodes’ #12 Jess Lanier jersey was also RETIRED during halftime of the basketball game.  

Celebrities who attended included… 

Actor Angell Conwell (Baby Boy) | Antione Harris (NFL) | Comedian & Actor Carl Payne (Martin) | Supermodel Danielle ‘Dani’ Evans (ANTM) | Actress Denyce Lawton (House of Payne) | Actress Drew Sidora (White Chicks) | Singer D Wood (Danity Kane) | Jamie Foxx (Family Matters) | Jerricho Cotchery (NFL) | Singer KeKe Wyatt | Jonathan Vilma (NFL) | Larry Johnson (NFL) | Pro Baller Larry OBannon | Actor Marcus Paulk (Moesha) | Model Melissa Ford | Singer Melody Thornton (Pussycat Dolls) | RIP Actor Michael K. Williams (The Wire) | Celebrity Designer Mychael Knight (Project Runway) | Manager Nikki Taylor (Teyana Taylor Mom) | Actor Percy Daggs (Veronica Mars) | Entertainer Raz B (B2K) | Entertainer Teyana Taylor | Actor Wesley Jonathan (Roll Bounce) | Rapper Young B(ianca) (Chicken Noodle Soup) & MORE! 

I remember it being HOT as HELL the entire weekend and the AC on the party bus wasn’t working and we thought we were actually going to HELL.  Carl Payne even said a PRAYER at the beginning of the game for being able to make it to the game on the hot ass day.  

Following the basketball game…Kerry invited his celebrity & VIP guests to enjoy a lavish dinner at Flemings Steakhouse.  During dinner Kerry presented his Mother & HS Athletic Coach with a bouquet of gorgeous roses and also gifted each female celebrity guest a single yellow rose to show his appreciation for their participation in his event.  It just so happened to be Young B(ianca)’s 16th Birthday so Kerry surprised her with a personal cake and had Singer KeKe Wyatt sing her Happy Birthday.  

After dinner at Flemings, Kerry and about 50+ others headed to the club for the Afterparty to finish up the weekend before everyone caught flights home.  I still don’t remember how everyone almost missed their flights anyway but YEAH… 

All VIP guests received a VIP gift bag filled with items such as Things Remembered memorabilia | UNK Clothing | Live Mechanics Clothing | Cooyah Clothing | Absolut Vodka | Zomba Music Group CDs | NY Jets paraphernalia | Specialty Wines | Personalized Jewelry | Water Bottles and other fabulous items.  

We handled EVERYTHING (Travel | Production | Management | Organization | Logistics) for the entire weekend with the help of our Ideal PR interns Ethan and Alma, also Trevor, Kerry’s Mom & Dad and family and a few others who made the weekend a success.  

I can remember sitting in the Ideal PR office in Washington, DC trying to secure celebrities for Kerry’s weekend while also trying to get sponsors for another client’s event, by this time Neeta had made the move to LA so we were running bicoastal offices.  I think we were also working on planning a Sweet 16 for Actress Paige Hurd In LA at the same time and both events were a SUCCESS!  We were on our TAKE OVER shit & had a damn good run!

PS…It is truly AMAZING to see how the people in this pic have EVOLVED!  Some were at the height of their careers in this pic…BUT ALL…Have continued to be GREAT! 

The NFL Players are living a life of NFL retirement…

Actresses Angell Conwell & Denyce Lawton are still on your screens & doing their thing…BOOKED & BUSY…

Actor Carl Payne is still doing stand up comedy while portraying the dad on Nickelodeon’s hit show Tyler Perry’s ‘Young Dylan’…

Actress Drew Sidora is on the current season on RHOA and holding a peach…

Rapper Young B was on LHHNY and his living her best life as a Mom & Hustler…

Of course…Teyana Taylor who was signed to Pharrell and Star Trak at the time was a skateboarder getting ready to release ‘Google Me’ and have her BDay party on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 & LOOK AT HER NOW…Her and her family are EVERYWHERE…She just released on her Jordan 1s…

RIP to Actor Michael K. Williams!  He was truly a DOPE soul & EVERYTIME I called him for something he did what he said and showed up!  YOU ARE MISSED MICHAEL! 

That was a WILDDD weekend!  LoL  Following this weekend…A LOT of things changed (That’s a story for another day...) for A LOT of people…

***PS…PLEASE EXCUSE THE QUALITY OF THE PICTURES AS THERE WAS NO HD IN 2007 LOL & SOME ARCHIVES ARE DISTORTED!