'Magic' show coming to CSULB

Basketball summer league featuring Magic Johnson to play in Pyramid

Soon, the city of Long Beach will be filled with "Magic," as the Summer Pro League is moving to The Pyramid at Cal State Long Beach.

The announcement came Monday that the league will begin its 26th summer season from July 12 to Aug. 2 in Long Beach rather than its previous home in the Bren Events Center at UC Irvine.

On hand at the press conference was one of the new co-owners of the league, former NBA superstar Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

Johnson, who reportedly owns 25 percent of the league, plans on playing in a few of the games with his "All Stars," schedule permitting. He and his team played three times during last year's summer league.

Even if Johnson isn't playing, he'll still be in The Pyramid sitting around, enjoying the basketball.

"My reasons for being there are two-fold," Johnson said in an interview with the Long Beach Press Telegram. "One, I'm going to be playing and I'm a part-owner. Two, I like basketball."

The league signed a one-year deal with CSULB but a long-term agreement is in negotiations. The league has gone through several owners and playing sites which include Loyola Marymount University, Inglewood and Redondo High Schools and CSU Dominguez Hills.

"I'm very excited, this is a wonderful publicity for the university," President Robert Maxson said. "I think that this shows a great deal of confidence in the campus because there are a lot of arenas around Southern California and they (the league) chose us."

One benefit to the league being at CSULB is monetary; it is a good business deal. The Summer Pro league is paying rent for the use of The Pyramid. CSULB plans to take that money and use it for improvements The Pyramid, Maxson said.

The league is made up of teams representing NBA franchises like the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns. The NBA teams are usually made of rookies and free agents as well as some NBA veterans.

Other teams participating include "free agent" squads of players who hope to earn invites with their performances to NBA training camps. Also scheduled to play are the national teams from Canada and Mexico, a UCLA alumni squad and the Harlem Globetrotters.

"We're excited about playing here," Johnson said in that same interview. "It's right in the middle, between LA and Orange County. It's going to be great for fans all over. The basketball junkies are going to be in heaven."