Starving Africans to Receive $100,000 From NBA, Stars

The National Basketball Assn. and the players in the All-Star game Feb. 10 at the Indianapolis Hoosierdome are going to donate $100,000 from the game to buy food for people starving in Africa.

The players will give their fees from the game, and the NBA plans to match that total, bringing the amount to $100,000.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson of the Lakers and Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers will announce the relief plan today in a news conference at the Century Plaza Hotel.

Johnson received a record number of votes and will start for the West along with Abdul-Jabbar, who will be making his 14th All-Star appearance, breaking a record he shares with Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Cousy and John Havlicek.

Johnson got 957,447 votes from the record total of 2,852,996 cast for the All-Star game. Johnson’s vote total surpassed the 927,779 received by Philadelphia center Moses Malone last season, during which a then-record 2,569,336 ballots were cast.

Completing the West’s starting lineup will be forwards Ralph Sampson of Houston and Adrian Dantley of Utah and guard George Gervin of San Antonio.

Erving and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics will start at forwards for the East. Joining them in the lineup will be Malone and guards Isiah Thomas of Detroit and rookie Michael Jordan of Chicago.