Magic Johnson to play in exhibition

Add Hall-of-Famer Magic Johnson, former NBA All-Star Steve Smith and current Boston Celtics standout Paul Pierce

to the list of players that have agreed to play in the "Obama Classic Basketball

Game." Take Dwight Howard off that same list. Women's Air Jordan 5

Howard withdrew from the game Tuesday, but did not reveal his reason. Johnson, Smith and Pierce join

an already lengthy roster of participants for the Dec. 12 exhibition in Washington, D.C., which will

hel? raise money for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign.

The venue for the game has not been finalized, but a number of

former and current NBA players already have committed to participate. They include: Kevin

Durant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Ray Allen and Chris Bosh.

Sources also said Baron Davis, Vince Carter, Alonzo Mourning, Jamal Crawford, Rudy Gay, Kevin Love, Russell

Westbrook, Amare Stoudemire, Blake Griffin, Tyler Hansbrough, Derek Fisher, Antawn Jamison, Juwan Howard, Quentin Richardson,

Dahntay Jones, Brandon Knight, Jerry Stackhouse, John Wall, Dikembe Mutombo, Patrick Ewing and Doc Rivers are expected

to play. Veteran WNBA star and all-time leading scorer Tina Thompson and former USC great Cheryl Miller also is

expected to participate.

Tickets, which range from $100 to $5,000 for courtside seats, are not on sale

yet but will made available to the general public, an Obama campaign official

said. Proceeds will go to the Obama Victory Fund, which is jointly held by the Democratic National

Committee and Obama's re-election campaign.

Whether Obama will directly take part in the event was left an open question.

"The President's participation is to be determined," the campaign official said. Men's Jordan 5 Air Max Fusion

Obama treated himself to a pick-up game with several current and former NBA stars

in August 2010. But his basketball exploits have been less publicized since an

errant elbow in a game with White House staffers and officials required 12 stitches in the President's lip.