A midsummer night’s magic

By AJ Cadman

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Twenty-one years ago a young and brash point guard from the
state of Michigan arrived in Southern California as the first pick
of the 1979 NBA Draft. It took only one season for the former
Michigan State Spartan to bring Showtime and an NBA championship to
Los Angeles.

Three seasons ago, another young and brash point guard, from
Westwood’s own backyard, arrived on the UCLA scene to bask in
the limelight of Pauley Pavilion. He would take the Bruins to the
Elite Eight in his freshman campaign, earn conference freshman of
the year honors and become the third overall pick of the 1999 NBA
Draft, chosen by the Charlotte Hornets.

Come Sunday afternoon, both Earvin “Magic” Johnson
and former UCLA point guard Baron Davis will make cameo appearances
at Pauley Pavilion for the 15th Annual “A Midsummer
Night’s Magic” Charity Basketball Game.

The game will benefit the Magic Johnson Foundation’s
Taylor Michaels Scholarship Fund, which provides college and
postgraduate grants for students based on their financial need and
achievement in the classroom.

“All kids need is a little help, a little hope and
somebody who believes in them,” Johnson said in “Words
to Make My Dream Children Live.”

“He’s always been one to give back,” said
Kawanna Myers Brown, Senior Vice President of the Magic Johnson
Foundation. “He sees a lot of today’s players being
idolized, and he saw a way for people to come together.”

“There’s entertainment (in the game) and it raises
money for a cause,” she added. “A game like this can
raise a lot of money for college.”

The weekend’s events include a Children’s Mardi Gras
and a benefit concert on Friday, and a corporate reception dinner
and Mardi Gras on Saturday.

The highlight of the weekend takes place Sunday in Pauley
Pavilion as Magic and some of the NBA’s most exciting and
talented athletes take to the floor for a Charity All-Star
Basketball Game.

Baron Davis, a Santa Monica native and Crossroads High standout,
will play for the first time in Pauley since his last home
appearance in 1999 in a UCLA uniform against the Washington
Huskies. In that game Davis left the Bruin faithful in awe after
several highlight reel dunks.

Other key NBA players will be Philadelphia’s Allen
Iverson, Seattle’s Gary Payton, and Houston Rocket guard
Steve Francis, who will bring his ballhandling and leaping exploits
to centerstage on Sunday.

Also in the plethora of All-Star guards is the Denver
Nuggets’ Nick Van Exel, who should dazzle the crowd with one
of the league’s best crossover dribbles. Cedric Ceballos,
another former Laker, will also be on hand.

Boston Celtic forward Antoine Walker will hold court in the low
block with Cleveland Cavalier Shawn Kemp, Sacramento King forward
Nick Anderson, Utah small forward Bryon Russell, Minnesota
Timberwolves forward Joe Smith and Charlotte’s Ricky
Davis.

Former Westchester High superstar Paul Pierce will return to Los
Angeles after a strong rookie season in Boston. Next year Pierce
will play alongside former Bruin center Jerome Moiso on the Boston
frontline at the FleetCenter.

Asked why she felt so many star players wanted to play in the
Charity Game, Luckett responded, “Probably because it’s
a benefit, it’s a charity, and it’s for a good cause.
It’s something that you can be proud about, that you were
involved in sending children to college and making a major
difference in their lives.”

But despite all the other stars, the main attraction is Magic.
It is a prime opportunity for the younger generation of basketball
fans to get a chance to see Magic lace up the sneakers one more
time, take his 6-foot-9 frame to the point guard spot, and wave his
wand over the parque floor at Pauley.

“The first time we had this event, it started out there at
UCLA in Pauley,” Brown said of the game’s move from the
Great Western Forum. “We thought it would be fitting to bring
it back to where it all started.”

With contributions by Pauline Vu and Christina Teller, Daily
Bruin Senior Staff.