'N Sync is In Sync with Charities

By Stephen M. Silverman

10/15/2001 at 01:00 AM EDT

'N Sync is bounding all over the place. On Nov. 11 on Miami's South Beach, the boy band -- Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez -- will perform a free concert to benefit the families of New York police officers and firefighters killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. (That excludes 2,000 VIP tickets that will be sold.) But before that, on Saturday, Oct. 27, the boys will hit the hardwood as co-hosts of an episode of NBC's "NBA Inside Stuff." The guys will join the show's executive producer and host, Ahmad Rashad, and co-host Summer Sanders to discuss the 'N Sync Challenge for the Children, a Las Vegas umbrella charity that raises money for five philanthropic groups, including the group's own Challenge For Children Foundation, the Justin Timberlake Foundation and Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy. They also plan to talk about their love for basketball and what several NBA players were up to over the off-season. The Challenge for the Children held a star-studded celebrity basketball game last summer to help fill the charity's coffers. (It was the second annual such event, and Justin reportedly was the best player in the band.) Ahmad, who coached one of the teams, will deliver the inside scoop on what went on, including the court techniques of such players as 'N Sync, Britney Spears (who happens to be Justin's main squeeze), "Malcolm in the Middle" star Frankie Muniz and Taye Diggs, as well as such NBA stars as Tracy McGrady, Cuttino Mobley, Dan Majerle, Dennis Scott and Elton Brand, all of whom participated in the game. In addition to being the co-hosts, says a press release about the program, 'N Sync members spend time with Ahmad and Summer discussing their favorite NBA players and teams -- and kick around the popular belief that while many musicians want to be ball players, just as many ball players want to be musicians.