Marques Houston joins celebrity line-up for Kobe Bryant weekend basketball game

The R&B artist joins an already star-studded list of celebrities, who will be coached by basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, when they take on the Real Madrid basketball legends

Marques Houston has confirmed he will join the celebrity side for a basketball match against the Real Madrid basketball legends, the most highly anticipated event of the Kobe Bryant Health & Fitness Weekend, presented by DMCC. With less than two weeks to go, the buzz across the region's first celebrity basketball game is heating up, which has Kobe Bryant donning a coach's hat. The news that one more R&B artist is flying down from the US to be part of the game is sure to make fans go ballistic. The celebrity basketball game is being held at the American University in Dubai on September 27.

R&B singer, song-writer and rapper, Houston has a number of hit singles in his repertoire. Marques Barrett Houston has pursued a solo career since he released his debut album MH in 2003. Before that, for over a decade, he performed with the group Immature/IMx. MH, Houston's second album, Naked and third album, Veteran all achieved spots on the Billboard Top 20 in the US.

Houston joins a roster of international and local celebrities including: former NFL player Kelly Herndon; R&B artist Soulja Boy; Virgin Radio Dubai popular personalities Kris Fade and Brent Black; Mohamed Al Mubarak, deputy CEO of Aldar Properties; TV presenter and DJ Marwan Parham, aka DJ Bliss; Mohammed Abdrabboh of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC); and Nathalie Junebie aka Chikay.

The Real Madrid basketball legends lineup includes two former USA professional basketball players Joseph Arlauckas, and Zan Tabak. Joining Arlauckas and Tabak are Antonio Llorente; Dario Quesada; Iturriaga Lopez; Jose Manuel Beiran; Jose Luis Diaz; Jose Luis Llorente; Jose Miguel Antunez; and Lucio Angulo. The team is coached by former Olympic Games basketball player, Juan Antonio Corbalan and assistant coached by, Rafael Rullan who is president of the Real Madrid basketball legends. More details of the game are available on www.kobefitnessuae.com.

The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) is the presenting partner for the Kobe Bryant Health & Fitness Weekend. DMCC has a mandate from the government of Dubai to provide the physical, market and financial infrastructure to set up a commodities market place in Dubai. It is the licensing authority for JLT, one of the largest mixed-use, free-zone developments in Dubai. DMCC recently announced plans to build the world's tallest commercial tower as part of an expansion plan to attract more multinationals.

Also partnering with Maven Marketing on the weekend is GEMS Education, the international K-12 education company which owns and operates high-performing schools across the globe. On September 26 GEMS will host a basketball skills clinic, coached by Kobe Bryant himself, at the Gems American Academy in Abu Dhabi. DMCC is currently running a competition on the radio for spots for the clinic for 10 lucky youth.

Nike, who is a global sponsor of Kobe's, will also be supporting the basketball superstar's first appearance in the Middle East. The Kobe Bryant Health & Fitness Weekend is also supported by: the Dubai Diabetes Association; Boston Diabetes Centre; Expo 2020; General Authority of Youth and Sport Welfare; Sport is a lifestyle; Dubai Calendar; Dubai Sports Council; Almoe AV Productions/Rentals; and Duplays. Virgin Radio Dubai and Gulf News are the official media partners for the event, and Kempinski is the hotel partner.