Court-Side Voice

THE FORUM.

I first heard of this magnificent creation in early 1966. In an unusual early-morning phone call, Jack Kent Cooke invited me to a private luncheon that noon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Naturally, I accepted, but not without some trepidation. Was he going to relieve me of my announcing duties? Give me a pay raise? Or, for the zillionth time, ask me why his beloved Lakers couldn’t beat the Boston Celtics?

So I pressed my trousers, shined my shoes and went to the appointed destination. After I was shown to Mr. Cooke’s private table, he smiled and said, “Chick, I have something to tell you,” and just like that he proceeded to tell me he was going to move the Lakers’ home games from the Sports Arena to a new facility he was having erected in Inglewood. Getting up some nerve, I said, “C’mon, boss, that’s just a ploy you are using to get a more amicable lease at the Sports Arena.”

His jaw dropped. He leaned over, looked me in the eye and asked, “Would you like to make a bet on it?” Then he added that it would be a $500 wager (that’s what I paid for my cars in those days).

I gulped, stammered and said, “It’s a bet.”

In my mind, I was thinking how angry the redheaded Marge at home was going to be. And so the Forum popped out of the ground at Manchester and Prairie. It was not only a new home for the Lakers and Kings, but it also had an immediate financial impact on the great city of Inglewood.

Incidentally, Mr. Cooke told me he was going to get his $500 by deducting $50 out of each of my next 10 checks, but he never did.

One day, shortly after the Forum’s opening ceremonies, Mr. Cooke asked me what would be a good word or phrase to enhance the name “Forum.” The next day I said to him, “How does ‘The Fabulous Forum’ sound?” He used his greatest Canadian brogue and replied, “My Gawd, Chick, that is stupendous.” Later I started calling it the world’s most beautiful sports theater; he liked that also. Even 32 years afterward, the contour of the 82 supporting columns circling the structure is a major Southern California tourist attraction for visitors from all over the world--truly an architectural masterpiece.

Of course, the many highlights include the Lakers’ six NBA championship banners. The Lakers’ first championship came in 1972 and was followed by five more: in ‘80, ‘82, ‘85, ’87 and ’88. Other attractive items at the Forum are the retired jerseys of the Laker legends.

STAPLES CENTER

There are many new and wonderful sports facilities around the world, but no one can deny that the Staples Center is the most sumptuous, breathtaking, multidimensional creation, regardless of our favorite sport or entertainment. Add to that the Lakers, Kings and Clippers and the list of concerts, conventions, boxing and wrestling matches and rodeos and it becomes obvious that Staples will handle some event almost every day of the year.

What does it mean to me? First, it means a new home for radio and TV broadcasts. But never, never let it be said that I don’t love the Fabulous Forum. The three Lakers owners I have worked for--Bob Short, Cooke and Jerry Buss--have strived relentlessly to give the fans a great product in an atmosphere of elegance. All were dedicated not only to winning, but also to winning with an aura of class, style and dignity.

Of the three owners, only Buss survives, and his intense interest in fielding a great team and bringing to Staples Center more Laker championships is surpassed only by his desires to assure sports fans of the utmost in comfort. Short, a native Minnesotan, purchased the Minneapolis Lakers in 1960 for about five cents on the dollar and moved them to Los Angeles on a very limited budget. Even with such names as Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Rudy LaRusso, Tommy Hawkins, Rod Hundley and Frank Selvy on the roster, the team and the NBA were a difficult sell here. Short’s absentee ownership didn’t help. In fact, for the first season, not even one of the area’s radio stations was willing to broadcast the games. Attendance was poor. Had it not been for the hiring of a tough, brilliant Cincinnati newspaperman--Short’s general manager, Lou Mohs--the longevity of the Lakers in Los Angeles would indeed have been in jeopardy.

But then something clicked. At Mohs’ suggestion, I got a call from Mr. Short in the middle of the night asking whether I would go to St. Louis and broadcast a playoff game against the Hawks. I did the game and was very fortunate that the Lakers won an overtime thriller. Radio station KNX had a great response, and the Lakers came home for the next game and drew a sellout crowd of 15,000 at the Sports Arena. That started my 37-year Laker relationship, for which I’ll forever be grateful.

MEMORIES

The West 63-footer vs. New York. Baylor leaping and hanging in air. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s incomparable sky hook. Jamal Wilkes’ “20-foot layup shots.” Magic Johnson--a stylist of basketball perfection. James Worthy--nothing finer out of North Carolina. Wilt Chamberlain--talk about man-mountain talent. Happy Hairston’s great rebounding. LaRusso--his job? Getting the ball to Elgin or Jerry. Kurt Rambis--a powerful talent, an incomparable teammate. Pat Riley--always in the right place at the right time. Fred Schaus--a great coach. Bill Sharman--coached the Lakers to their first title. Byron Scott--all-around star. Bob McAdoo--a true winner. Keith Erickson--what an athlete! Nick “The Quick” Van Exel. Eddie Jones--he’ll pick your pocket. Elden Campbell--blockin’ shots. Michael Cooper--”Coop-a-loop.” Norm Nixon--quick as a wink. Pete Newell--basketball all-star. And, of course, we’ll never forget Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and many others.

BITTERSWEET MEMORIES

Don Nelson shoots a 20-footer at the buzzer! The shot is too long--but--it hits back of the rim, bounces 3 1/2 feet straight up and comes down and into the hoop for another Boston title. Mr. Cooke had thousands of balloons in a huge net above the floor to be dropped as soon as the Lakers won that game. Nellie didn’t let it happen. (My job in the off-season was to get those damn balloons down.)

In the 1979 draft, the Lakers had first pick because, four years earlier, they had received New Orleans’ pick for that year in a trade for Gail Goodrich. It was the year Magic elected to come out of Michigan State. Buss was buying the Lakers from Cooke, but he demanded one major consideration. Part of the deal, he insisted, was that Cooke take Magic with the No. 1 pick. The rest is history. It brought Buss an NBA championship in his first year as an owner, and that was only the start of something that I have been blessed with being a part of.

Now I must change my home-away-from-home address from the Fabulous Forum to the splendor of the Staples Center.

Hope I get a better seat . . . .