Long Beach lacks NBA, struggles on

There is a scene in the film "White Men Can't Jump" where Wesley Snipes' character is bragging about having once played against Michael Jordan and how Jordan told him he should play in the summer pro league.

Snipes' Sidney Deane then claims to have told Jordan no.

"Might mess up my game," Deane says.

For nearly four decades, the summer pro league in Long Beach has been big enough to merit a movie mention and, more important, theplace for summer NBA basketball. It was where fans were introduced to a 17-year-old Kobe Bryant, and where the likes of Jerry West and Magic Johnson might be in the stands, or in Johnson's case, playing.

"This is a place where people could go and bring their children and everybody would be there," said John Younesi, a Newport Beach lawyer who has served as the league's owner and president the past 15 years.

That was not the case Monday afternoon. During a game featuring a free-agent team and a European national team, one side of the stands was put up and there were probably more players and staff at the Walter Pyramid than fans in attendance.

"It's difficult to stomach," Younesi said.

This summer, for the first time in its 38-year history (with the exception of the 1998 lockout), no NBA-affiliated team is competing in the local summer pro league. The eight-day event, which began Sunday, instead features 14 free-agent teams and the Polish National team.

NBA teams, meanwhile, are spread among three other leagues, in Orlando, Utah and Las Vegas. Younesi said the league in Las Vegas, which is run by the NBA this summer, is particularly frustrating to him.

"The NBA teams were beckoned to go to Las Vegas," Younesi said. "Because they (the NBA) want to get a team there, they wanted to build a swell of momentum. There's a lot of money being waved around in Las Vegas. There's an undercurrent of power to experiment and see what happens."

The 4-year-old Vegas Summer League was founded by Warren LeGarie, once an agent for NBA players and owner of a free-agent team in Long Beach. Legarie, now the executive director in Las Vegas, has seen his league blossom from six teams in 2004 to 22 this summer. This year's version includes the Chinese National Team and is being held at two venues.

Younesi said LeGarie, no longer a player agent but still an agent for NBA coaches and general managers, used his influence to sway teams away from Long Beach.

"People are here because they want to be here," LeGarie said. "There's no obligation. Teams have freedom of will in terms of that.

"It wasn't about bribing people."

Two years ago several teams left Long Beach for Las Vegas, including the Clippers, coached by Mike Dunleavy, a LeGarie client. Long Beach survived, though, as standing-room only crowds at the 4,500-seat Pyramid came to see Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum. Draft picks from the two local franchises had long been a staple of the league's success.

Last year, while still well attended, it was clearly a different day at the Pyramid. Only four NBA teams participated, including the Washington Wizards, who arrived late after playing in Las Vegas, and the Dallas Mavericks, which sent a "B" team to Long Beach as its "A" team played in Las Vegas.

When each of those teams left this summer, the Los Angeles Lakers had no choice but to follow.

"We had no one to play against in Long Beach," Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said last month. "So the best thing for the organization was to go where the competition was."

It was then Younesi decided to focus on the youth. He started two other summer leagues, one for high school players and one for college players, both of which are being played this week in Long Beach. On Sunday, there was also a free basketball clinic that attracted more than 600 kids.

As for the NBA, there might be some hope for next year. Kupchak said he preferred to have his team in Southern California during the summer and alluded to revitalizing the league in Long Beach.

"It doesn't make sense to take your team from Southern California, in particular from a league that has existed that long, unless you can't help it," he said.

Younesi said Kupchak echoed the sentiment in a conversation between the two a few days ago, and Younesi has begun conversations with both the league and NBA general managers regarding next summer. He is hoping his league's desirable location, coupled with offering teams more games than the five they are playing in Las Vegas, will bring the NBA back.

"I developed that league for 15 years," Younesi said. "I'm going to do what I can so the fans don't miss out."

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