As two of basketball's all-time greats, Isiah Thomas and James Worthy have seen their paths cross on numerous occasions.

And next month, they'll take their rivalry to another surface when they take part in the inaugural Samuel L.Jackson Celebrity Golf Classic.

The two former roundball stars were among the more than two dozen entertainers confirmed by event organisers on Wednesday. And they're two of four professional athletes -- Rodney Peete and Ron Greschner are the others -- who will take part in the three days of tournament play at Port Royal Golf Course on May 9, 10 and 11.

Business people will pay up to $3,000 each for the chance to play with the likes of Thomas, Worthy and assorted Hollywood actors in support of The Council Partners Charitable Trust and The Catalog for Giving.

Admission for the public is free -- considerably cheaper than what they would have paid less than ten years ago to watch Thomas and Worthy go at it in the NBA Finals.

Worthy, the former number one overall draft pick out of North Carolina, hooked up with the Los Angeles Lakers and became part of the Showtime outfit that included Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. A seven-time all-star, he led the Lakers to three NBA championships -- including 1988, when they defeated the Detroit Pistons and a little point guard named Isiah Thomas.

Worthy was named MVP that year but Thomas, a number one choice by Detroit out of Indiana, got his revenge a year later when the Pistons shortcircuited Showtime in the final. A year after that, Thomas was MVP as Detroit won their second straight NBA championship (over the Portland Trail Blazers.) Thomas has since gone on to make his mark in business, and last week finalised negotiations that will see him take over as majority owner of the Toronto Raptors. Thomas was a minority owner, vice president and general manager when the Raptors joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1994.

As for Peete, his playing days aren't over yet. Husband of actress Holly Robinson Peete, who will also be taking part in the tournament, Peete is a quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

After becoming a starter in 1995, he lost his job to Ty Detmer after suffering an injury last season. The 31-year-old Arizona native previously played for the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.

Greschner retired in 1990 after 15 years as one of the most popular members of the New York Rangers. A three-time all-star, he augmented his ice hockey career with numerous endorsement deals and now runs several other business ventures.