Tracy McGrady and Ira Newble Court Help for Darfur

Wendy Cohen May 23, 2008 | 4:28 pm EST

Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady and LA Lakers Ira Newble are using their NBA stardom to bring much needed attention the conflict in Darfur. I love basketball (even though my hometown of Montreal never had an official team) and frankly, I’ll support any team with players trying to make a difference.

McGrady and Newble are spearheading different and equally inspiring initiatives. Read more after the jump >>>

(Photo of Mia Farrow and Ira Newble at a Darfur Now screening in Los Angeles)

McGrady is working with Enough Project, Warner Bros. and Participant Media (that’s us!) to build 12 schools for children displaced by the war raging in Sudan.

We are all collaborating on a “Sister School” campaign encouraging high schools and universities in the United States to become “sister schools” with the schools in the refugee camps. 5,000 copies of our documentary Darfur Now and 5,000 copies of the book “Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond,” written by John Prendergast and actor Don Cheadle, are being donated to schools across the U.S.

Similar to McGrady, Newble traveled to Chad last summer. Newble admits that the conflict in Darfur wasn’t even a blip on his radar until January 2007:

He was on the way to a morning shoot-around as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers when he picked up a newspaper with a story about an English professor, Eric Reeves, who was working for relief for Darfur from his hospital bed despite suffering from leukemia. [LA Times]

Newble is now working with Aid Still Required a NGO devoted to humanitarian relief. With Aid Still Required, Newble is working on PSA campaign with 9 other NBA players (including McGrady) and continues to be an outspoken advocate for the cause. (Little tidbit: Newble treated the 15 young men - known as the Lost Boys of Sudan- to a trip to last year’s NBA Finals.)

with TakePart.com/DarfurNow