Page 14-Tuesday, August 4, 1981-The Michigan Daily
SPOR TS OF THE DAILY
Abdul-Jabbar to stay with Lakers

4

LOS ANGELES (AP)-Six-time National Basket-
ball Association Most Valuable Player Kareem Ab-
dul-Jabbar met with Los Angeles Lakers' owner
Jerry Buss yesterday with the two arriving at an un-
derstanding that the superstar center will not be.
traded.
Abdul-Jabbar, a 12-year NBA veteran who has
played with the Lakers during the past six seasons,'
and Buss both said afterwards that the meeting had
been productive. They added Abdul-Jabbar will
remain with Los Angeles and there will be no change
in his contract.
"A TEAM IS like a family, when you pick one per-
son out in front and say he's my favorite child, the
others in the family definitely feel affected," said
Abdul-Jabbar, referring to Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
"No one knew exactly what was going on. Some
members thought that they had to compete for the af-
fection of our owner rather than what they were doing
on the floor."
Johnson signed a 25-year, $25 million contract with
the Lakers earlier this summer. It had been reported
recently that Abdul-Jabbar was unhappy about the
situation and would meet with Buss and ask to be
traded to either the New York Knicks or the New Jer-
sey Nets.
Both Abdul-Jabbar and Buss emphasized there was
no jealousy as far as Johnson was concerned.
"KAREEM'S CONCERN was that they were
taking a guy like Magic and tying together the
playing and management aspects of the contract,"
said Tom Collins, Abdul-Jabbar's business agent.
"Then as soon as Magic would be walking in the
locker room, players would see him as management
and not as a player.
"Players talk to players, not to management.
Kareem saw an inherent danger in that that kept
growing."
Buss said that "there was a misunderstanding and
you could chalk that up to my inexperience as an
owner. The air has been cleared sufficiently for me to
walk away happy.
"IN ROUND TERMS, the basic issue in Magic's
contract is two phases," continued Buss. "One is as a
player, the other is his involvement with
management. There was a feeling by the players that
those two phases became intermingled to the extent


that they would suffer as a team.
"It was not my intent to create that, but I did. I
don't think Kareem or any players object to the
length or size of Magic's contract. It was my inadver-
tant mingling of management and player aspects."
Abdul-Jabbar, 34, said the misunderstanding was
affecting the morale of the players and he felt that if
the situation wasn't dealt with that he did not think
the team could win and if he didn't think the team
could win he would like to go elsewhere.
ABDUL-JABBAR, WHO has two years remaining
on his contract at a reported $1 million per year, said
that the possibility of Houston center Moses Malone's
becoming a free agent after next season had nothing
to do with the meeting with Buss.
"Because a lot of things happened this summer, I
felt it was necessary to establish very intent com-
munication with Laker management," said Abdul-
Jabbar following the 90-minute meeting with Buss.
"Because I feel very intense about my career and I
want to be on a credible team, I felt I had to talk to
management and point some things out to him (Buss)
that were essential to our success.
"I'm happy to say we made quite a bit of headway.
Any rumors that you're finally going to get rid of me
are premature. I thought if it would get to the point
where I could not play basketball here and win, then I
knew I would not be around and the only place I would
want to be would be is in New York."
Hearns promotes in N. Y.
NEW YORK (AP)-"Don't slide. Don't slide. Stand
up," some promotional types shouted as Thomas
"Hit Man" Hearns tried to stretch a single into a
double ina softball game yesterday at Central Park.
After all, the purpose of the Hearns appearance
against a team of media people was to help promote
his multi-million-dollar welterweight championship
showdown against Sugar Ray Leonard, not to get it
postponed by doing something foolish, like breaking
an ankle.

Hearns seemed to enjoy himself . . . not that he
would have been there if not requested by the
promoters.
"I know it's part of the job," said Hearns. "So I do
the best I can."
"The first week of August they agreed to do what
we asked them," said Kathy Duva, wife of and
publicist for promoter Dan Duva. "Then from the
15th on they can concentrate on training. But they
have been doing a lot on their own."
They certainly have, appearing on locally and
nationally televised talk shows and making public
appearances for the Sept. 16 fight. The surprise of the
pre-fight hype, to many people, is the way Hearns has
gotten into the swing of it. In fact, so far he has out-
Leonarded Leonard, who is a master showman as
well as a fighter.
Hearns' image, encouraged by the tag "Detroit Hit
Man," is that of the strong, silent type.
But Hearns can charm, and he has done such a
winning job in dealing with the public, that Kathy
Duva said he has been offered a guest hostspot on the
"Saturday Night Live" television show. Unfor-
tunately for the promotion, it wouldn't take place un-
til October.
The hype seems to be paying dividends for Leonard
and Hearns, who reportedly are guaranteed $8
million and $5 million, respectively, but can make
much more on a percentage deal.
All the $50 seats and most of the $500 seats for the
live card at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas have been
sold, said Duva, who added that 14,000 tickets have
been sold at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.
Hearns will attempt to boost sales at Madison
Square Garden by sparring in front of the Garden at
noon, EDT, Tuesday. He also is scheduled to serve as
commentator on the CBS telecast of the Roberto
Duran-Nino Gonzales junior welterweight fight Sun-
day at Cleveland.
Following his appearance at the softball game,
which his team won 11-9, Hearns went to Harlem
where a crowd, estimated at 4,000, watched him give
a boxing clinic for youngsters.

16th ANNUAL SALINE
I.R.A. CHAMPIONSHIP
AUGUST 7&8, 8p.m.
AUGUST 9, 3p.m.
Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds
Saline-Ann Arbor Road, Saline,Mich.
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TOP COWBOYS COMPETING
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TICKETSLocation of Rodeo

Collapsed lung hurts
Turner 's progress

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Tests and
additional surgery which doctors had
hoped to perform this week on Indiana
University basketball player Landon
Turner were canceled because his left
lung collapsed again, a spokesman for
Methodist Hospital said yesterday.
Turner was officially listed in serious
condition.
THE LUNG collapsed immediately
after the accident, then collapsed again
Sunday, and pulmonary experts were
summoned.
"The doctors are very concerned
because we thought we had the lung
problems cleared up," said Methodist
Hospital spokesman Fred Price.
"There is apparently something else in
there."
Price said Turner's condition
probably would remain "status quo"
until the lung specialists can figure out
the problem.
TURNER SUFFERED a broken
spine and a concussion in a one-car ac-
cident July 25 near Columbus, Ind.
Doctors earlier had said they hoped
to perform paralysis tests on Turner
Monday or Tuesday. Physicians were
unable to test Turner for paralysis
while he was unconscious. But Turner
was "awake and alert" during the
weekend, said Juanita Evans, a
Methodist Hospital spokeswoman.
Evans said Sunday that Turner was
"aware of his surroundings and was

talking."
He was able to grip his hands weakly,
"but we'll just have to wait and see,"
she said, adding that Turner was not
moving his legs.
Turner's injuries leave Indiana coach
Bobby Knight with one of his biggest
challenges. Less than four months ago,
Knight was talking optimistically about
the following season, pinning much of
his hope on Turner's ability to develop
into a "mature, tough, hard-nosed kid
who wants to be a great basketball
player."
Now he may never get that chance.
Turner
.'..suffers complications

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Advance At Gate
$4.00-- Adult --85.00
82.00-- Children 6 thru2 --83.00
Tickets available at: Citizens Bank, Kempf's, .
All Sears Detroit-Metro Stores,J.L.Hudson's
and other CTC outlets.
Saline Area Jaycees


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