Little Man Is Among the Biggest of Critics

There will be a time next fall when Lamont Harvey needs money for college and he’ll look back at the NBA lockout in disgust.

The first time he has to buy an extra book, he’ll remember the $2,000 to $3,000 he lost from his job as an ice cream vendor at the Sports Arena for Clipper games.

The first time he’s a little short of cash for supplies, he’ll remember the nightly “SportsCenter” segments showing NBA players crying about money during the lockout and then jumping into limousines while dressed in expensive suits.

The first time he’s hungry, he’ll remember Commissioner David Stern’s questionable sincerity when he said that he cared about everyone hurt by the 191-day lockout.

“This whole thing just shows how money-hungry everyone is,” said Harvey, a 19-year old senior at Compton High. Harvey, who plans to study electrical engineering at USC or Long Beach State in the fall, has worked the last two years at the Sports Arena to save money for college.

“To me, they could have settled this thing a long time ago.”

While it may be difficult to find anyone around Los Angeles who truly misses the Clippers, Harvey is someone whose daily routine was dramatically affected by the lockout.

He’s glad that the Clippers are back in business because it means more income. Despite the franchise’s history of less-than-sellout crowds, the Clippers have been consistent moneymakers for vendors such as Harvey, who also works USC basketball games and occasional ice shows and concerts.

“It’s funny, but the players were complaining about money and they’re making thousands of dollars a game,” Harvey said. “People like me really have to hustle to make $80 a game. Seems to me that not having [games] is more a letdown for us.”

For the last four months, Harvey attended school during the day and hoped to hear good news of a settlement when he returned home.

“Basically, [I’ve had] to follow what was going on by watching TV,” Harvey said. “No one ever talked to us about the situation.”

On Wednesday, Harvey finally heard the news he had been waiting for, but his view of the NBA has changed. He says that if he didn’t depend on income from Clipper games, he wouldn’t have cared if the entire season was canceled.

“All of my friends feel that way,” he said. “It really wouldn’t have mattered. People lost a lot of love for the game. They got a chance to see that the players just wanted the money. I don’t think that they realize that they hurt a lot of people with this.”