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USA today - June 5, 2001
Stars enjoy a basketball league of their own By Kelly Carter
LOS ANGELES —
Celebrities sitting courtside at Lakers' games no longer have to
dream about one day putting on an NBA uniform.
While Leonardo DiCaprio and
Tobey Maguire will never be confused with Shaquille O'Neal or
Kobe Bryant, they are Lakers just the same, part of the little-known
NBA Entertainment League.
The two actors are among
the 130 players, who also include Ice Cube, David Arquette, Scott
Speedman, Justin Timberlake, Morris Chestnut, Coolio, Dean Cain
and Don Cheadle, who get together every Sunday to flaunt more
than their acting skills. The 12-team league, now in its fourth
season, is open by invitation only to those in the entertainment
industry.
"Every kid who plays
sports growing up wants to be a professional ballplayer,"
Chestnut said after his game Sunday. "For us to get to put
on the uniforms, have the refs, the NBA socks, the logos and
everything, it's like a fantasy league."
The league was created two
years ago in an effort to build relationships in the industry as
well as give entertainers an authentic environment in which to
play basketball.
"We realized early on
that not only do they love to watch our game, but they love to
play the game," says Zane Stoddard, senior manager of
entertainment marketing for the NBA and also the celebrity league's
unofficial commissioner.
The NBA prefers not to
disclose the location of its 11-week regular-season schedule,
which runs May through July and again October through January,
but the three-round playoffs are held at the Staples Center.
Games are off-limits to the
public, but famous faces are often in the stands cheering on the
players. On Sunday, Kirsten Dunst and Jaime Pressly cheered on
their respective boyfriends, Maguire and Simon Rex. Other
girlfriends and wives attending games have included Britney
Spears (Timberlake), Gisele Bundchen (DiCaprio), Keri Russell (Speedman)
and Courteney Cox Arquette.
"I bring friends of
mine, and they get to see more famous people here than they do
anywhere else," says hoopster Andrew Miano, president of
Weitz Brothers Productions (American Pie).
Players range in height
from the 5-foot-1 Frankie Muniz of Malcolm in the Middle
to the 6-foot-7 Todd Holland, who was in Little Nicky.
Their talent level varies from Miano, who had never played
organized basketball, to Angel Eyes' James Caviezel, who
played at the University of Washington.
Participants take these
games seriously. On Sunday, Woody Harrelson got out of bed at 4 p.m.
to make his 5 p.m. game, though he had been suffering from food
poisoning. Last January, crooner Brian McKnight sang the national
anthem at the NFL's NFC Championship game in East Rutherford, N.J.,
then hopped a plane back to L.A. in time for that evening's
championship NBA Entertainment game, which his team won.
"Normally, when Sunday
comes, I do everything I can to get back here if I'm not actually
working and have a show," says the 6-foot-4 McKnight, who
was the league's MVP two seasons ago.
Some players use the games
for networking. When Miano's production company was casting its
upcoming WB show Off Centre, six guys from the league were
considered. Says Miano: "This is a neat avenue because ... I
wouldn't hesitate to say to someone, 'Hey, we've got this movie.
We'd love to tell you about it.' " Thanks to Pax and Lynlee ! ***
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