"LeBron James awoke Friday morning in a charitable mood.

That was good news for the Mid-South because the Miami Heat star committed to play in Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay's charity game Tuesday night at the DeSoto Civic Center.

In a Twitter conversation, James asked what time the game began. Gay told James the event tips off at 7:30 p.m.

"Ok cool!" James replied. "Figuring out travel plans now! I'm in homie."

And like that, the closest this area will ever come to putting on an NBA-caliber All-Star game added more star power.

"It comes down to my relationship with the guys," Gay said about putting together the exhibition game. "And the endorsements I have really helped."

Game officials said nearly 700 tickets were sold within the first hour of James' promise to play. More than 2,000 tickets had been sold as of noon Friday. The DeSoto Civic Center holds 9,000 for basketball."