Magic to enter hall of fame

LOS ANGELES -- Magic Johnson flashed that million-dollar smile countless times Wednesday -- and no wonder?

The man who set the standard for point guards with his all-around brilliance in leading the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA championships in the 1980s was introduced as a member of the 2002 class elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

"To represent the Lakers organization is truly a blessing -- a kid from Lansing," Johnson said of his Michigan hometown. "All I wanted to do was be the best I could be."

And what he turned out to be was one of the best of all time.

Others who will be inducted into the Hall on Sept. 27, are Philadelphia 76ers coach Larry Brown; University of Arizona coach Lute Olson; the late Drazen Petrovic, a star with the Portland Trail Blazers and New Jersey Nets; North Carolina State women's coach Kay Yow, and the Harlem Globetrotters.

That makes 246 individuals and five teams in the Hall.