GREAT SPORTS LEGENDS DINNER

The highlight of this evening is paying tribute to our “Great Sports Legends” from different sporting categories and honorees who both inspire and motivate others.  The Great Sports Legends Dinner is The Buoniconti Fund’s premiere fundraiser in support of The Miami Project. Each year, more than 800 celebrities and notables from the worlds of entertainment, sports and media are treated to an evening that is both entertaining and inspirational. Over the past thirty-seven years, more than $130 million has been raised at the Sports Legends Dinners.

Past Legends and Honorees include: Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Jack Nicklaus, Wayne Gretzky, Phil Collins, Andre Agassi, David Ortiz, Simone Biles, Willie Mays, Buzz Aldrin, Tony Hawk, Cal Ripken, Jr.,  Tommy Lee Jones, Mia Hamm, Magic Johnson, Dorothy Hamill, Julio Iglesias, Dwyane Wade, Helio Castroneves, Dan Marino, Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Dr. Maya Angelou, Mike Piazza, John McEnroe, Jorge Posada, Bob Costas, John Elway, Pat Riley, Lindsey Vonn, Kelly Slater, Joe Torre and many other athletes and heroes who recognize that paralyzing injuries can and do occur in the pursuit of athletic careers and everyday lives.

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ROGER CLEMENS, TONY GONZALEZ, GARY PAYTON, JIMMIE JOHNSON,
HENRIK LUNDQVIST, KERRI WALSH JENNINGS, TAMIKA CATCHINGS, AND JOHNNY VELAZQUEZ
to be honored at
THE BUONICONTI FUND TO CURE PARALYSIS’
39^TH ANNUAL GREAT SPORTS LEGENDS DINNER 

Beloved Sports Agent Leigh Steinberg to Receive The Buoniconti Fund Humanitarian Award;
Global Philanthropist Ray Chambers to Receive the Christine E. Lynn Champion for a Cure Award

Music Icon Gloria Estefan to Emcee, Kool & The Gang to Perform at the event
Presented by Tudor Group and Mack Family in New York City

New York (July 23, 2024) – The 39^th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner presented by Tudor Group and the Mack family, to benefit The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, will honor eight of the world’s most accomplished athletes.  The distinguished group includes Hall of Famers, World Champions, Olympic Gold Medalists, and other top awardees coming together for one night only in an unprecedented effort to raise awareness and millions of dollars for research and treatment of paralysis and other neurological diseases and disorders. Seven-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion Roger Clemens, NFL Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, NBA Champion and Basketball Hall of Famer Gary Payton, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, NHL Hall of Famer and Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist, three-time Olympic Beach Volleyball Gold Medalist and three-time World Champion Kerri Walsh Jennings, and Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer and four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Tamika Catchings, three-time Kentucky Derby winner and National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame member Johnny Velazquez will be honored on Monday, September 30^th at the New York Hilton Midtown.

In addition, beloved sports agent, entrepreneur and best-selling author Leigh Steinberg will receive The Buoniconti Fund Humanitarian Award, and distinguished philanthropist Ray Chambers, World Health Organization Ambassador for Global Strategy, will be presented with the Christine E. Lynn Champion for A Cure Award at the dinner.

Music icon, philanthropist, eight-time Grammy Award winner and Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Gloria Estefan will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for this high-profile event. Estefan’s connection to The Buoniconti Fund dates back more than three decades when she suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a tour bus accident. Kool & the Gang, multiple Grammy Award winner and impending 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, will perform during the evening’s program.

The dinner, presented by Tudor Group and the Mack family, is chaired by Mark Dalton, of Tudor Group and co-chaired by Reed Mack and Richard Gray, benefits The Buoniconti Fund, the fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. The Miami Project, a designated Center of Excellence at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, is the world’s premier spinal cord injury research center.

“Each year, I am humbled by the Sports Legends and Honorees who continue to join us and Stand Up for Those Who Can’t. We are honored to recognize this extraordinary line-up of individuals who perform above and beyond, both in and out of their sports arenas. We welcome them to our Buoniconti Fund team,” said Marc Buoniconti, The Buoniconti Fund President, who was paralyzed in a college football game four decades ago. “As we continue to work toward finding a cure for paralysis and other neurological diseases and disorders including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS and stroke, we are encouraged to know that this event is helping to accelerate new treatments so that one day soon the millions living with spinal cord and brain injuries and other neurological injuries can have effective cures.”

“Sports Legends Alumni” include Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Jack Nicklaus, Wayne Gretzky, Phil Collins, Andre Agassi, David Ortiz, Simone Biles, Willie Mays, Buzz Aldrin, Cal Ripken, Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, Mia Hamm, Magic Johnson, Dorothy Hamill, Dwyane Wade, Chris Evert, Helio Castroneves, Dan Marino, Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Dr. Maya Angelou, John McEnroe, Jorge Posada, Bob Costas, John Elway, Pat Riley, Tony Hawk, Christian Slater, Julio Iglesias, Lindsey Vonn, Kelly Slater, Joe Torre, Jerry Rice and Shaquille O’Neal and many other athletes and heroes – all of whom recognize that paralyzing injuries can and do occur in the pursuit of athletic careers and everyday lives.

The dinner annually attracts a veritable “Who’s Who” of more than 1,000 sports legends, celebrities, philanthropists, corporate leaders and other influential New Yorkers. The evening includes a spectacular auction featuring one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia items, magnificent jewelry, and much more.

Since its inception in 1985, the Great Sports Legends Dinner has honored more than 400 sports legends and honorees and has raised millions for The Miami Project’s spinal cord injury research programs. The Miami Project and The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis remain committed to finding a cure for paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury and to seeing millions worldwide walk again.

The 39^th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner begins at 5:30 PM at the New York Hilton Midtown, 1335 6th Ave. Tickets and tables can be purchased by contacting Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard at 305-243-4656, or ssayfieaagaard@miami.edu, or visit: https://one.bidpal.net/gsld24. For more information about The Buoniconti Fund, please visit: www.TheBuonicontiFund.com. To take part in the conversation on social media, follow us on Facebook @cureparalysis, Instagram @TheMiamiProject or on X @BuonicontiFund using hashtags #SportsLegendsDinner and #CureParalysis #StandUpForThoseWhoCant.