Former Tigers will be on both sides of pro-am basketball game between Memphis, Birmingham leagues

Nick Tuggle and Orlando Coleman had been discussing the idea for years.The Memphis basketball pro-am scene has been revitalized since 2019, and pro-am runs in Birmingham have brought out many of the citys best.

So why not bring the two cities together for a competitive clash between two of the Souths most basketball-infested areas?Coleman and Tuggle figured theres no time like now.

The Shelby County Pro-Am Leagues best players will be matching up against Birminghams Magic City Pro-Am squad on Aug.

7 at 7 p.m.We thought it would be good to do a pro-am versus pro-am type battle, Tuggle, co-founder of the Shelby County Pro-Am League, told The Commercial Appeal.

Weve been working on coming together for this.The Battle Across Borders will take place at P7 Sports Academy in Cordova.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

with free parking available.The P7 Sports Academy court has the NBA distance 3-point line, so that will be an adjustment for some players, but the game will be played by the pro-am league rules.Expect a good time, Tuggle said.

Some good basketball.

Basically, the same pro-am atmosphere that were always having.Who is playing?Both cities are bringing out some of their best for the matchup.

Former Memphis Tigers and current pros are among the players Tuggle has helped assemble for August 7.Alex Lomax and Dedric Lawson are among the former Tigers on that list.

Former Arkansas guard Jaylen Barford, who is playing professionally in Italy, has been a pro-am standout in recent years, and hes also expected to be on the roster.The Memphis team wont be the only one having a former Tiger, however.Former Tigers guard and Alabama native Ricky Tarrant will be among those playing for Magic City.

Tarrant, a senior in 2015-16, was teammates with Lawson during Josh Pastner's final season in Memphis.Coleman, CEO of the Magic City Pro-Am, knows Alabama gets its sports rep from its football prestige, but he wants the people to know that the basketball talent runs deep, too.To be honest with you, Memphis and Birmingham are very similar, Coleman said.

We are hard-nosed, gritty.

We gone come with it.For the greater impactFor both Memphis and Birmingham, this meeting is about more than the basketball game.The Shelby County Pro-Am League announced July 8 that its 2025 season was canceled.

Even with that announcement, the league stated that it would still be involved in the community this summer.The game against Magic City is one of the events thats been in the works to honor that statement.Were also looking to do some youth basketball camps as well, Tuggle said.

Just giving back to the city in that light.

Being able to have some of the pros in the pro-am come together and kind of give back to the community with some basketball clinics for the kids.A similar mentality can be attributed to Magic City.

The league just finished its first season, which Coleman said was a success.

The programming is run through Colemans DreaMentali foundation.We do a lot of give-back initiatives not only for the adults and young adults, but also for the youth, Coleman said.Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal.

Contact Damichael at [email protected].

Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis vs Birmingham pro-am basketball game to include former Tigers.

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