Former Panther to hold celebrity basketball game at Providence Day

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It was a chance meeting at Carolina Panther Cam Newton's charity event two years ago that led former teammate Josh Norman to get involved with a well-known mentoring program in his hometown of Greenwood, South Carolina.

Norman struck up a conversation with a woman who turned out to be a board member at the Boys & Girls Club of America.

Norman is set to open his facility in January. It will be the first one to open in Greenwood.

[Photos: Josh Norman's celebrity basketball game]

“When I had that opportunity, I ran with it,” the Washington Redskins cornerback said. “I'm truly blessed because, like I said, those things don't happen overnight.”

Norman parlayed a string of successful seasons with the Panthers into a major contract with the Redskins, and with that came a new level of a sense of social responsibility.

“You've got to be mindful of your voice and also within that voice, ‘How does it carry?’ And for me, I always try to raise people up in the way I would want to be lifted up.”

Norman has been to Flint, Michigan, to raise awareness of the ongoing water crisis. He delivered supplies to children leaving detention centers at the southern border, and now he's refocusing his attention back on his hometown.

Norman's Starz24 foundation and the Boys & Girls Club of America will host a celebrity basketball game at Providence Day Saturday afternoon.

Doors open at Providence Day at 11 a.m. The game starts at 12:30 p.m. Newton, Landon Collins, Terrell Owens, Josh McCown and other celebrities will be in attendance. Tickets will be available at the door.

Cox Media Group