Maui Invitational opens online auction to benefit fire relief | News, Sports, Jobs
The Maui News
The Maui Jim Maui Invitational men’s college basketball tournament has launched the Hoops for ‘Ohana online auction, in partnership with Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund, as part of its fundraising efforts to help in relief and recovery after the devastating wildfires on Maui.
All fans will have the opportunity to bid on items donated by past Maui Invitational basketball programs and tournament partners, purchase Maui Strong T-shirts as well as make monetary donations, tournament organizer KemperLesnik announced Thursday.
The auction will remain open now through Nov. 22, (with select time-sensitive items such as ticket and event packages closing earlier) and can be accessed by signing up online at or texting MAUIINV to 76278. Dozens of teams and partners have contributed to the auction, and 100 percent of all proceeds will go directly to wildfire relief and recovery efforts.
The Maui Invitational has called Maui home for nearly 40 years, with the except of 2020 and 2021, when the tournament was moved to the Mainland due to COVID-19 restrictions. This year’s tournament is scheduled for Nov. 20-22 at the Lahaina Civic Center, though tournament organizers have not yet announced whether or not the event will be held on Maui this year.
“If you’ve experienced ‘Maui Magic’, you understand the impact the Maui Invitational has on the island and the larger college basketball community,” tournament chairman Dave Odom said in the news release announcing the auction Thursday. “As our Maui ‘ohana faces the task of rebuilding a place that has come to mean so much to so many of us, we are leaning on our Maui fans and supporters to rally together and give back.”
The auction includes unique items ranging from autographed basketballs and game tickets to school gear and game-used memorabilia. The tournament is also auctioning off official Maui Invitational surfboards from 2006 through 2018, signed by past tournament coaches, including Mike Krzyzewski, Bill Self and Tom Izzo. Other non-basketball items include a stay-and-play package at the Streamsong Resort in Florida and a VIP travel package with tournament partner Hyatt Regency Maui.
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