IT’S SHOWTIME : 20 of the NBA’s Finest Will Play Tonight in Magic Johnson Benefit Game at Forum

When it was played last summer, it was magic all right, but what else was it?

“Spectacular,” said Magic Johnson.

And just one year later, the second Magic Johnson All-Star benefit basketball game tonight at the Forum has already grown into something more.

So it has come to this, has it?

A Midsummer Night’s Magic .

This is what it’s called now, and while it may not exactly be Shakespeare, who cares? This is not Hamlet, this is Dunk It.

In Magic’s game, he and 19 of his fellow National Basketball Assn. players will show their best stuffs, all to benefit the United Negro College Fund. The first game last summer, played before a sellout crowd at Pauley Pavilion, raised close to $350,000. This year, UNCF hopes for $500,000.

“What we did last year passed, no, it way passed, any expectations we had,” Johnson said.

Tonight’s game in the Forum has some of the NBA’s biggest stars playing for free, with only their travel and hotel expenses being paid.

Charles Barkley, Akeem Olajuwon, Dominique Wilkins, Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre, Alex English, Tom Chambers, Spud Webb and Xavier McDaniel have been invited and are expected to play.

Michael Cooper, Rolando Blackman, Kiki Vandeweghe, Clyde Drexler, Reggie Theus, Kevin Willis, Ron Harper, Mike McGee, Chuck Person and Quintin Dailey are also joining Johnson in supporting the UNCF cause by playing in his game.

In fact, the game has just about everything, with one exception. No Celtics.

Johnson invited Larry Bird, Dennis Johnson and Sam Vincent to play, but Boston General Manager Jan Volk and President Red Auerbach denied them permission.

Volk said the Celtics are enforcing a rule that was actually in effect before Bird played in Johnson’s All-Star game last year, but one he said he chose to overlook at the time.

“There was some confusion at the time we made the decision, so we just made an exception to the rule with Larry,” Volk said. “This year, we’re adhering to our policy.”

Volk said Celtic players cannot play in any summer games except those that are for instructional purposes and in which the team has a part, such as the Summer Pro League at Loyola Marymount. Volk said the Celtics hope to avoid getting any players injured during the off-season.

“We can’t put anybody at risk for next year,” Volk said.

Notes

Game time is 7:30 p.m. . . . Last year after expenses, UNCF Development Director Vince Bryson said his organization kept almost $225,000 of the $350,000 it grossed. . . . How did Magic Johnson divide his All-Stars? “We’re faster, they’re taller,” he said.

White jerseys--Charles Barkley of Philadelphia, Michael Cooper of the Lakers, Ron Harper of Cleveland, Johnson, Xavier McDaniel of Seattle, Mike McGee of Atlanta, Akeem Olajuwon of Houston, Chuck Person of Indiana, Kiki Vandeweghe of Portland and Spud Webb of Atlanta. Blue jerseys--Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman of Dallas, Tom Chambers of Seattle, Quintin Dailey of the Clippers, Clyde Drexler of Portland, Alex English of Denver, Reggie Theus of Sacramento, Isiah Thomas of Detroit and Dominique Wilkins and Kevin Willis of Atlanta. . . . The Lakers’ Summer Pro League team began play last week. Three Laker veterans, forward A. C. Green, guard Adrian Branch and center Mike Smrek, are part of the team. None of the Laker draft choices can play because of the league-imposed moratorium on signing players resulting from the collective bargaining agreement that expired. . . . Laker owner Jerry Buss, a longtime supporter of the UNCF, is not charging anything more than expenses for using the Forum. . . . Johnson, who said his summer has been “a never-ending basketball camp and clinic,” is keeping his weight down by eating only twice a day. He intends to report to training camp at about 215 pounds, which is about 10 pounds lighter than what he weighed to begin last season.