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.