LeBron offers help to Katrina victims

LeBron James helped load four tractor-trailers with diapers, school supplies, food and other items for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The Cleveland Cavaliers' star spent about $120,000 in two hours Thursday at a Sam's Club warehouse store in Fairlawn, Ohio, near his hometown of Akron. The goods will be sent to Houston, Louisiana and Mississippi.

"He just thought he had to from the heart, decided that this is what he had to do," James' mother, Gloria James, said as forklifts behind her moved cases of paper towels, canned tuna and other items onto the trucks. "And here we are."

James bought "everything from diapers right on down to school supplies," said Sam's Club employee Christina Knox. "This is a lot of what they need right now."

The 20-year-old James also plans to join Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and other top NBA players for a charity game in Houston on Sunday.

In other Katrina developments:

• The NFL has designated the second week of its season as "Hurricane Relief Weekend," which will culminate with a fund-raising telethon that will be part of ABC's "Monday Night Football," commissioner Paul Tagliabue said.

Under the theme of "Recover & Rebuild," the NFL, its clubs, network television partners — ABC, CBS, ESPN and FOX — and sponsors will use the Sept. 18-19 games to raise funds and bring attention to the massive needs of the Gulf Coast region.

"The Gulf Coast and our entire nation face extraordinary challenges," Tagliabue said. "We will continue to do our part to contribute to the recovery and rebuilding process. The weekend of what should have been the Saints' first home game in New Orleans this year is an appropriate time for a special leaguewide effort to focus on the restoration of the Gulf Coast."

• Tennis fans renowned for buying pricey crepes and cappuccinos opened their hearts as well as wallets at the U.S. Open to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Instead of hawking programs, students asked fans to dig deep to help those suffering on the Gulf Coast. In just a week, a handful of juniors from Dwight-Englewood School in New Jersey raised almost $50,000 for the American Red Cross.

That will supplement the $500,000 already promised by the U.S. Tennis Association. The students wanted to help and approached the Red Cross and the USTA.

"It was the perfect venue," volunteer Michael Miura said.

Some contributors were from the Gulf Coast.