Teams play more than 110-hour basketball game to raise money for tornado recovery

With Missouri still recovering from the devastating tornado that ripped through Joplin more than 10 months ago, a group of basketball players decided to raise money for the relief effort in a unique way. At 4 p.m. on Sunday, two teams set a record for the longest continuous basketball game in history when they hit the 107-hour mark. According to the Joplin Globe, they were still on the court playing at 7 p.m. when they reached 110 hours.

The game, which took place at the St. Louis Athletic Club, raised more than $100,000 for the Joplin relief effort. At 7 p.m., Team Joplin was leading Team St. Louis, 11,588 to 11,506. St. Louis resident Steve Pona, who is a veteran of marathon hoops, organized the event with the help of fellow St. Louis resident Chuck Williams.

“Chuck Williams and I have played in two world record marathon baseball games and have raised about $250,000 for two St. Louis area charities,” Pona said. “When the tornado hit last year, we were immediately inspired and said, ‘We need to do another game.’ The timing worked out where the game fell right in the middle of March Madness, so we decided to play basketball.”

Companies like Adidas, Wells Fargo and Edward Jones among others came together to sponsor the event. The game began at 5 a.m. on Wednesday and — per Guinness Book of World Records rules — included 24 players split into two teams. It was divided into two-hour sections during which 6 players from each team played while the other six rested, ate and recovered. Pona said the response and support has been tremendous.

“Today we’re running on adrenaline,” he said Sunday. “We’re all suffering from cuts and bruises and nicks and things. You name it, we’re suffering from it. We’ve got guys who have lost toenails and fingernails. We’ve all had the traditional basketball injuries, but we’ve been fortunate to avoid any major injuries.”

Any nicks and bruises Jeff Hafer, a former Mizzou baller, suffered didn’t seem to be bothering him, as he was leading all scorers with 3,033 points just after 7 p.m. I can’t imagine the type of dedication and adrenaline a 110-hour game would take — rest or no rest. Kudos to the players for sticking it out for a tremendous cause.

Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE