What started as an impromptu friendly game of flag football between NBA superstar and college fraternity turned into a friendly challenge between NBA superstar and NBA superstar, which has now morphed into a pre-NBA season corporate-sponsored flag football extravaganza.

Kevin Durant and LeBron James will lace the flags up in a non-contact football game tonight at the University of Akron. The game will be broadcast on LeBron’s Ustream channel at 8 pm EST and will be preceded by a charity event for LeBron’s Wheels for Education program.

The LeBron/Durant match will feature such squad members as author/ad exec/entrepreneur Steve Stoute, LeBron’s business manager Maverick Carter, Kevin’s brother Tony Durant, as well as the captains themselves.

Here’s hoping for basketball fans’ sake that the game will be played on the softest of padded cushion and that both KD and LeBron will be armored in sumo wrestling suits.