Nixon disses summer league

Nixon disses summer league
By Steve Springer, Times Staff WriterJanuary 17, 2007
Although he was a key member of the Showtime teams of the early 1980s, Lakers guard Norm Nixon sometimes felt he didn't get the respect afforded superstars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.And Nixon wasn't shy about expressing his feelings.One example occurred after he played in the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers with a dislocated ring finger on his left hand. The Lakers won the championship that year in six games.When Nixon ran into Lakers head coach Paul Westhead in the team's offices at the Forum during the summer, Westhead naturally inquired about the finger.Still not good, said Nixon, holding up his gnarled digit.I think you should play in the summer league to get your hand back into shape, Westhead said.A veteran on a world championship team playing in the summer league?Nixon responded by telling Westhead, "Why don't you have Kareem pick me up on his way out there."