Divac Gets to Show His Game

Vlade Divac, last seen in a Laker uniform before Christmas, was activated before Tuesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns when the Lakers put Chris Mihm on the injured list because of a sprained right ankle.

Divac, 37, had been on the injured list since Dec. 22, sitting out 49 games, the last 43 after surgery Jan. 6 to repair a herniated disk in his back. His contract carries a club option for next season, when he would be due $5.4 million.

“Management wants to take a look at him,” Coach Frank Hamblen said, “and Chris Mihm is going to be out for a while. So, we needed another big man.

“We’ll ... just see what he’s got left in his tank.”

Divac, who had averaged fewer than five minutes in eight games before Tuesday, said he had lobbied to be activated.

“I’m excited to be out there and play a little bit,” said Divac, who had two points and four rebounds in nine minutes during the 125-99 loss. “It’s been a long time. Frustrating year personally and as a team we struggled, so hopefully we can at least finish on a good note.”

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Brian Cook, who played at Illinois, flew into Phoenix before the game after attending his alma mater’s 75-70 loss to North Carolina in the NCAA title game Monday night at St. Louis.

“I had fun, got to see some of my old teammates, share some old stories,” he said.

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Most of the key figures who helped the Lakers win the NBA championship in 1985 are expected to be in attendance when the team is honored during a ceremony at halftime of Monday night’s game against the Suns at Staples Center.

That would include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes, Mitch Kupchak, Kurt Rambis, Michael Cooper and Bob McAdoo, as well as Pat Riley and Jerry West, the club’s coach and general manager.

The Lakers in 1985 won the NBA Finals in six games against the Boston Celtics, ending two decades of frustration against their Eastern rivals.