Laker Wives Extend Their Charity

When the Laker Wives organized a charitable group to support their community, they meant Inglewood.

“We have based all our effort in Inglewood,” said Karen West, wife of Lakers general manager Jerry West, “because we feel the city needs it. That’s where the Forum is, and we want them to benefit from us being there. We all sort of feel like it’s our home.”

The Laker Wives are a group of about 20 players’ spouses who hooked up in 1984 to support Inglewood schools. But with their first major fund-raiser coming up March 21, they’ve decided to give part of the proceeds to the Magic Johnson Foundation Inc., a program started late last year by the former Laker to fund AIDS education, disease research and care for those afflicted with AIDS and HIV. Johnson announced last November that he had tested positive for the AIDS virus.

West, along with Emily Dunleavy, wife of coach Mike Dunleavy, and Cookie Johnson, wife of Earvin (Magic) Johnson, talked about the benefit recently at the Armand Hammer Museum of Art in Westwood, the site of the upcoming buffet dinner, casino and auction. (Tickets are $250. Information: (310) 544-4400).

Explaining the history of the Laker Wives, West said, “Jerry Buss (the team owner) always has a Christmas luncheon for the wives, and we always brought presents for each other. One day I said, ‘This is really silly. Here are all these women who have men that bring home great paychecks, and we’re bringing each other handkerchiefs or something.’ I thought, this is ridiculous, when there are so many kids out there who don’t have anything.”

The wives started by collecting toys for the Children’s Baptist Home in Inglewood, and their projects have expanded to include school anti-drug, pro-education rallies.

“The rallies have had a tremendous effect,” said Morningside High School principal Liza Daniels. “The athletes tend to be natural role models because they are in the public’s view. I think some of the problems are so pervasive that every little bit of information that you can get from people in the community who have a certain stature is beneficial to the students, as well as help you can get from the common person too.”

Sales from a cookbook and calendars put out by the Laker Wives also support a scholarship program that funds four new college scholarships each year and 24 ongoing scholarships.

“When we did our last calendar,” West said, “we did a special insert on Earvin, and we decided that part of the proceeds from that would go to his foundation. And we decided that as long as we were having this event as well, we’d combine the two and make it a larger effort.”

Cookie Johnson, who is expecting the couple’s first child, said that since her husband made his announcement, the players and their wives have rallied behind them.

“It’s nice to know that people support you rather than run and talk behind your back, which a lot of other teams do,” she said. “But when something happens, we all come together, and you know you don’t have to worry about that.”

She added that she’s getting used to the white-hot spotlight that has followed her and her husband since last fall.

“It’s getting more overwhelming,” she continued.

“But it’s OK because it’s all good wishes, and people are all very nice. It’s something that I have to get used to. We used to be able to sneak in to a 7 p.m. movie and get back out, no problem. Not anymore. But I’m not complaining, because the people mean well.”

If she’s found support from the other Laker wives, it might be, as Emily Dunleavy explained it, because there is no competition among the women.

“It’s a low-key group,” she said. “Everybody is nice, and it’s very unglitzy. Since I’ve been here, I’ve noticed that if they’re comfortable with getting involved with the group, then they get involved. People all do their own thing. With other teams, wives have told me there is competition, and it carries through to their children. We just don’t do that.”

Added Johnson, “When it’s time to come together, we come together and stick together. There’s none of, ‘Well, his paycheck is higher, and this wife is wearing more diamonds than this wife,’ that sort of thing. I think the professionalism around the Forum helps us feel this way, so that everybody takes on that same attitude.”