UCLA, Lakers standout Walt Hazzard dies

Former UCLA standout and Lakers guard Walt Hazzard died Friday from complications following heart surgery. He was 69.

Hazzard, who was part of UCLA's first NCAA championship team in 1964 under Coach John Wooden, is considered one of the best point guards in the Bruins' history. He averaged 18.6 points a game as senior, leading the Bruins to a 30-0 record and the national title.

Hazzard was selected college basketball's player of the year in 1964, averaging 19.8 points a game in the postseason.

Photos: Walt Hazzard | 1942-2011

“Walt was one of the pillars of UCLA's first championship team in men's basketball,” current UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. “He was a great player and an outstanding coach at UCLA. He is a huge part of the Bruin legacy, and he left life-long memories for the Bruin faithful.”

Hazzard went on to help the U.S. win a gold medal at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo before being selected first overall in the NBA draft that year by the Lakers. He played 10 years in the NBA, averaging 12.6 points and 4.9 assists during his career.

After retiring he returned to UCLA and coached the men's basketball team for four seasons, posting a 77-74 record. He was replaced by Jim Harrick for the 1988-89 season.

Hazzard, who had his jersey retired by the Bruins in 1996, also suffered a stroke that same year.

"This is a sad day for the UCLA basketball family," Bruins Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said.

We'll have more on Hazzard's passing soon at latimes.com/sports.

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-- Austin Knoblauch

Photos: (Top) Walt Hazzard, right, accepts the AP All-America award presented by Sports Editor Robert Myers at a banquet on April 11, 1964 in Westwood. Credit: Ed Widdis / Associated Press. (Bottom) Bruins guard Walt Hazzard in action during a game in 1962. Credit: Associated Press.

Are Matt Barnes and Eva Longoria dating?

Lakers forward Matt Barnes is rumored to be dating actress Eva Longoria, though both deny that they are romantically involved.

Longoria, who is recently divorced from San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, picked up Barnes from the airport earlier this week, according to TMZ, prompting gossip sites around the Web to whisper.

True, driving to the airport could mean nothing more than doing a friend a favor -- but when a woman agrees to suffer through LAX traffic and its cacophonous symphony of honks for a man, people are going to go "hmmmm."

Barnes announced his breakup with reality-TV star Gloria Govan in October. Could this be the birth of a new athlete-celebrity relationship? Following the Kim Kardashian-Kris Humphries divorce after 72 days of marriage, the world seems to be fiending for romance, real or imagined.

Barnes and Longoria were also spotted eating dinner together in New York a few weeks ago and partying at a nightclub in Las Vegas in October. And the two work together on Longoria's foundation, Padres Contra El Cancer.

Longoria is reportedly dating Penelope Cruz's younger brother, Eduardo, and after the rumors began flying, she posted this to her Who Say account: "First Jessica Simpson, now this. Once again, press gets it wrong, Matt Barnes and I are not dating! Why is the truth never the headline?"

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Uninformed players should blame themselves

Story lines Lakers will miss in early December

Union disbanding seriously jeopardizes 2011-12 season

-- Melissa Rohlin

Photo: Matt Barnes. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Greatest sports figures in L.A. history No. 2: Magic Johnson

Continuing our countdown of the 20 greatest figures in L.A. sports history, as chosen in voting by our online readers, with No. 2, Magic Johnson.

No. 2 Magic Johnson (230 first-place votes, 8,389 points)

When Magic Johnson sold his 4.5% share of the Lakers in October of 2010, he called it a "bittersweet business decision."

Now free to pursue another sports franchise, maybe even help bring an NFL team back to Los Angeles, Johnson wanted to make one thing clear.

"I am and will always be," he said, "a Laker for life."

Perhaps the greatest Laker ever. At the very least, the most popular Laker ever.

For few people have had more impact on the Lakers and the NBA than Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who along with the Boston Celtics' Larry Bird, is widely credited with reviving the league and setting the stage for Michael Jordan to take the game to unprecedented heights.

Not that Johnson didn't scale some pretty big mountains himself.

Using his 6-foot-9 frame and superior passing skills, Johnson directed the Lakers' "Showtime" era that dominated the NBA in the 1980s. From his rookie season in 1979-80 to his final full season (1990-91), Johnson helped the Lakers win five NBA championships and nine conference titles. The Lakers won at least 54 games in each season in that span.

Watch the Magic Johnson retirement news conference [Video]

 

It seems impossible, but 20 years ago today Magic Johnson retired from the Lakers while announcing he was HIV positive.

"Because of the HIV virus that I have attained, I will have to retire from the Lakers today," Johnson said in the news conference, which you can watch above.

Johnson went on to say, "I just want to make it clear, first of all, that I do not have the AIDS disease."

It was a surreal moment few people will ever forget. At the time, you didn't know how long Johnson would live.

A few years later, of course, he returned to the Lakers for a season. He also was a member of the original dream team.

Today, he is an entrepreneur and considered by many to be the greatest Laker of all time.

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Magic Johnson retains optimism

Twenty years later, Johnson is living proof

Magic Johnson wishes he hadn't retired so early

-- Houston Mitchell

 

Why Jerry West wanted to share his struggle with depression [Video]

Jerry West is one of the most beloved figures in Lakers history.

A prolific scorer who embodied the ethos of hard work, his silhouette became the NBA's logo.

A general manager who built two of the league's most celebrated dynasties, a replica of his body became immortalized in bronze outside of Staples Center.

He has experienced immense success --- but has struggled deeply with enjoying its fruits.

"The high opinion others may have of Jerry West, whoever they may think he is, has never been shared by me," West wrote in his autobiography, "West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life."

At a book-signing at ESPN Zone in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, West discussed his lifelong struggles with depression and why he decided to reveal them to the public.

"I've led a very complex life and I just thought after all of these years of trying to mask some of my problems, that it would be important to people out there -- and I've gotten a lot of cards, a lot of letters, a lot of telephone calls from some pretty prominent people thanking me for writing this book," West said.

"I had hoped it would be kind of cleansing for me to go back in time and think about some of the things that I've seen in my life that were less than desirable -- but probably propelled me to have some kind of a life I didn't dream possible."

In the book, West described his household in West Virginia as cold and lacking in affection. His father was abusive and his older brother, David, whom he loved dearly, died in the Korean War at age 22.

"David's death, I see now, truly resulted in the basketball court's becoming my sanctuary and my refuge, the place where I felt most alive, where I was most in control," West wrote.

Throughout West's illustrious career, he grappled with residual resentment from his childhood and a sometimes detrimental drive for perfection.

Even though he led the Lakers to a championship in 1972 he has never been able to get over the team's losses to the Boston Celtics and, to this day, has a hard time visiting the city.

West is a kind man who never thought he was above anyone -- for example, as an executive he forged friendships with the people who did menial labor in his office. But his overflowing humility worked against him at times.

When he won the Finals MVP award in 1969, he was upset. He didn't think he deserved it.

In the book, Magic Johnson said he was glad that West was writing an autobiography because he hoped that it would prove to be a form of therapy for him.

When asked if the writing process was indeed cathartic, West said, "Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

"I think reliving some of the things I saw in my life, talking about some of them, have not been therapeutic, but some other times I'm glad I did it."

MORE:

A review of "West by West"

Greatest sports figures in L.A. history: Jerry West

Jerry West on autobiography: "It was painful to write"

-- Melissa Rohlin

Greatest sports figures in L.A. history No. 5: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Continuing our countdown of the 20 greatest figures in L.A. sports history, as chosen in voting by our online readers, with No. 5, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

No. 5 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (70 first-place votes, 5,203 points)

Few, if any, players in basketball history have come close to replicating the perfect combination of power, size, style and grace that characterized Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s game during his stellar, 20-year NBA career. His sky-hooking, bespectacled image came to personify the Lakers' "Showtime" era of the 1980s, making him a recognizable figure even outside the basketball world.

For 14 years he treated the Lakers' fans to an almost otherworldly display of basketball, helping the team win five NBA titles before retiring in 1989 as the league’s all-time leading scorer. His ambidextrous sky hook was virtually unstoppable, his blocking and rebounding superb and his shooting showcased beauty and grit at the same time. "He's the most beautiful athlete in sports," Magic Johnson once told Sports Illustrated.

Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. in New York in 1947, the 7-foot-2 center leaped onto the national stage at UCLA where he led the Bruins to three national titles under coach John Wooden in the late 1960s. He was selected first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1969 NBA draft and made an immediate impact, averaging 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game to earn NBA rookie-of-the-year honors.

The following season Alcindor led Milwaukee to its first NBA title and converted from Catholicism to Islam, taking the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which means "noble, powerful servant."

Greatest sports figures in L.A. history No. 6: Jerry West

Continuing our countdown of the 20 greatest figures in L.A. sports history, as chosen in voting by our online readers, with No. 6, Jerry West.

No. 6 Jerry West (41 first-place votes, 3,961 points)

For all the immortal players, great coaches and colorful owners the Lakers have had, no man has exerted more influence over the franchise from more positions — player, coach, executive — over a longer period of time than Jerry West.

His career as a player was one of such sustained and ubiquitous brilliance in the face of circumstances many times star-crossed that it seems right and fitting his image makes up the NBA’s logo. He also became the third Lakers icon to be memorialized in a statue outside Staples Center, joining Magic Johnson and Chick Hearn when his statue was unveiled on Feb. 17, 2011.

Drafted with the second pick in the 1960 NBA draft, West, a two-time All-American at West Virginia, would be named to the All-Star team 14 times. From 1967 to 1973, he was named to the All-NBA’s first team every year but two; the two years he wasn’t — 1968 and 1969 — he was named to the second team.

He averaged 27 points and 6.7 assists during his 14-year career, but, fittingly for the man known as "Mr. Clutch," averaged more points — 29 — in the playoffs.

Greatest sports figures in L.A. history, No. 7: Chick Hearn

Continuing our countdown of the 20 greatest figures in L.A. sports history, as chosen in voting by our online readers, with No. 7, Chick Hearn.

No. 7 Chick Hearn (57 first-place votes, 3,469 points)

There are three statues representing Lakers icons outside Staples Center. Only two of them are basketball players.

But it speaks to the importance of Chick Hearn that his likeness joins Magic Johnson and Jerry West in bronze perpetuity.

It was the spoken word that made Hearn such a part of Lakers history. He was the team’s only broadcaster in Los Angeles until his death at age 85 in 2002. When the team moved from Minneapolis in 1960, he was instrumental in introducing professional basketball to Southern California sports fans.

He called 3,338 consecutive games, a streak that started in 1965 and ended in December of 2001 after he had heart surgery. His distinctive high-speed delivery and inventive vocabulary made him one of the greatest play-by-play announcers in history.

Greatest sports figures in L.A. history, No. 8: Kobe Bryant

Continuing our countdown of the 20 greatest figures in L.A. sports history, as chosen in voting by our online readers, with No. 8, Kobe Bryant.

No. 8 Kobe Bryant (12 first-place votes, 2,657 points)

Arguably the greatest player of his generation, Kobe Bryant has played a leading role in helping the Lakers carry their winning tradition into the 21st century. Regarded as a fierce competitor who is capable on excelling both offensively and defensively, Bryant transformed from high school phenomenon to NBA superstar while wearing the purple and gold, helping lead the team to five NBA titles.

Bryant excelled at Lower Merion High in Ardmore, Pa., near Philadelphia, winning numerous national awards as a senior before announcing his intention to skip college and enter the NBA draft. He was selected 13th overall by Charlotte in 1996, but the Lakers had already worked out a deal with the Hornets to acquire Bryant prior to his selection. Bryant impressed Lakers General Manager Jerry West during a pre-draft workout session in Los Angeles. Less three weeks later, the Lakers traded starting center Vlade Divac to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant’s rights. Bryant, whose favorite team growing up was the Lakers, had to have his parents co-sign his NBA contract because he was 17 years old.

The 6-foot-6 guard made his pro debut in the 1996-97 season opener against Minnesota; at the time he was the youngest player ever to appear in an NBA game. He started in only a handful of games during his rookie season, coming off the bench in support of Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones. However, Coach Del Harris played him more as the season progressed, allowing Bryant to showcase the skills that made him a top candidate for rookie of the year. Those skills were also on display when Bryant won the 1997 NBA slam dunk competition.

NBA lockout: Live video chat with Mike Bresnahan and Broderick Turner

Join us Wednesday at 1 p.m. on The Fabulous Forum for a live video chat with Times Lakers reporters Mike Bresnahan and Broderick Turner. They will be discussing the NBA lockout and how it impacts the Lakers chances to win the title, and will answer questions from readers watching online.

It all starts Wednesday at 1 p.m. on The Fabulous Forum blog.

 

--Houston Mitchell

 

Greatest sports figures in L.A. history, No. 16: Jerry Buss

Continuing our countdown of the 20 greatest figures in L.A. sports history with No. 16, Jerry Buss.

No. 16 Jerry Buss (no first-place votes, 723 points).

Amid the pageantry of the Lakers' ring ceremony for their 2010 championship, Kobe Bryant wanted to make sure one man received the proper credit.

"None of this would have been possible," the superstar guard told the Staples Center crowd, "without the greatest owner in the history of team sports … Mr. Jerry Buss."

Certainly, no owner in team sports has been more successful.

Since Buss bought the Lakers in 1979, they have won 10 championships and been to the NBA Finals 16 times. Only twice in that span have they missed the playoffs.

While building the Lakers into one of the premier franchises in sports, he's done so with a certain flair.

"Right after I bought the team, I used to go into this little lounge in Santa Monica," Buss said in an interview with Times columnist Bill Plaschke in 2008. "The owner was also the musical director for MGM and they used to perform musicals there late at night, it was fantastic. Just before they would start, everyone would start shouting, 'Showtime! Showtime!' I remember thinking, this is how I wanted people to feel about their team."

Greatest sports figures in L.A. history, No. 17: Elgin Baylor

Continuing our countdown of the 20 greatest figures in L.A. sports history with No. 17, Elgin Baylor.

No. 17, Elgin Baylor (no first-place votes, 689 points)

One of the greatest and most exciting players in NBA history, Baylor was a human highlight reel who became the first star basketball player to compete in Los Angeles. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward displayed a combination of size and grace like no other player before him, averaging 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game over his 14-year career.

"I say without reservation that Elgin Baylor is the greatest cornerman who ever played pro basketball," former Lakers coach Bill Sharman told The Times in 1971.

Known for his signature running bank shot, Baylor's knack for mid-air acrobatics made him one of the most difficult players to defend against. He utilized his speed and maneuverability to become the first dominant small forward in league history. Baylor finished with 23,149 points, 3,650 assists and 11,463 rebounds when he retired in 1971.

A two-time All-American and NCAA tournament most valuable player at Seattle University, Baylor was selected first overall by the Lakers in the 1958 NBA Draft. The team signed him to a $20,000 contract, a hefty sum in those days for a player who hadn't proven himself at the professional level. However, it was a move former Lakers owner Bob Short claims saved the franchise.

"If he had turned me down then, I would have been out of business," Short said in a 1971 interview with The Times. "The club would have gone bankrupt."

Plaschke-Simers video: Should Kobe Bryant play overseas?

Kobe Bryant has been offered $6.7 million to play for Italian club team Virtus Bologna for a season. Should he go?

Times columnist Bill Plaschke and T.J. Simers disagree.

Plaschke thinks Bryant's loyalty is to the Lakers and he shouldn't risk jeopardizing his health and adding even more mileage to his long NBA career that began when he was just 18 years old.

Simers simply doesn't care. He argues that it's none of our business what a player does during the offseason.

Plaschke and Simers will be doing a weekly video, appropriately named "L.A. Loud." The video will be moderated by Times sports reporter Melissa Rohlin.

If Bryant plays overseas, other players will surely follow suit. Rohlin wonders if that could expedite the negotiation process since the owners don't want to risk their top players getting hurt.

MORE:

Kobe Bryant offered $6.7 million to play in Italy

Poll: Which side do you agree with more in the NBA lockout?

NBA postpones training camps, scraps some preseason games

--Melissa Rohlin

Should Kobe Bryant play overseas? [video]

Kobe Bryant has been offered $6.7 million to play for Italian club team Virtus Bologna for a season. Should he go?

Times columnist Bill Plaschke and T.J. Simers disagree.

Plaschke thinks Bryant's loyalty is to the Lakers and he shouldn't risk jeopardizing his health and adding even more mileage to his long NBA career that began when he was just 18 years old.

Simers simply doesn't care. He argues that it's none of our business what a player does during the offseason.

Plaschke and Simers will be doing a weekly video, appropriately named "L.A. Loud." The video will be moderated by Times sports reporter Melissa Rohlin.

If Bryant plays overseas, other players will surely follow suit. Rohlin wonders if that could expedite the negotiation process since the owners don't want to risk their top players getting hurt.

MORE:

Kobe Bryant offered $6.7 million to play in Italy

Poll: Which side do you agree with more in the NBA lockout?

NBA postpones training camps, scraps some preseason games

--Melissa Rohlin

Does Kobe Bryant have too much time on his hands during lockout?

 

The NBA lockout is affecting players differently.

Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) did "Dancing With the Stars." Now is Kobe Bryant tuning up for a run on "American Idol"?

Bryant pops up in a "welcome back" video for UC Irvine athletics, produced by the university's sports information department. Bryant has scenes singing and dancing -- at least it was reported to be dancing -- during the five-minute video.

If nothing else the Anteaters found a way to get Kobe to say, "Love Shaq, er, Shack."

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Metta World Peace donates $285,000 to charities

After 'DWTS,' Metta World Peace on which Lakers are good dancers

-- Chris Foster

 

Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson is into LLWS, Brent Musburger says

Brent Musburger isn't trying to hide his affection for the Billings, Mont., Little League team that will play Ocean View of Huntington Beach in Saturday's Little League World Series U.S. division championship game.

Musburger grew up in Billings and his father founded the Little League program there.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this to be happening," Musburger said Friday. Musburger is on the ESPN/ABC broadcast team that will call Saturday's U.S. title game and the International division championship game between Mexico and Japan, as well as Sunday's championship.

Musburger said the entire state of Montana is buzzing about the state's first representative in the LLWS. He said his brother, Todd, even got a text message from former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who has a home in Montana. "He texted my brother during the game when Montana beat Ocean View," Musburger said.

Musburger said his father coached the first Montana team that won a state championship. "They went to Richland, Washington, for the regionals," Musburger said, "and lost to a team from Santa Monica. That was the first of 21 times that Montana was knocked out of regional play."

When he's on television Saturday, he said, "I'm not going to hide from the fact I'm from Billings. I'm amazed at what's happening but I don't have a stake in the outcome. Whatever happens happens and now it's just frosting on the cake.

"I think California should be favored. They're going to come back with that pitcher [Nick] Pratto who dominated Montana until he left the game. The Montana team goes about its business and if you make a mistake, Montana takes advantage. I think California will press hard and try to score early because as long as you let an underdog stay close, in any sport, the better off it is for the underdog."

-- Diane Pucin