Basketball 101 with the Los Angeles Lakers; To Be Presented by LA Sports & Entertainment Commission.

LOS ANGELES -- Basketball 101 with the Los Angeles Lakers, an innovative, officially sanctioned National Basketball Association (NBA) event designed to coach women and men on both the fundamentals and intricacies of basketball, will be presented by the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC) on Thursday, Nov. 4, from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at STAPLES Center.

"Whether or not you know what 'free throws,' 'pick and rolls' or 'power forwards' are, Basketball 101 will be a fun, informative and interactive event that will include 'coaching' from a star-studded group of experts," explained Kathy Schloessman, LASEC president. Presenting sponsor will be American Express, and attendance will be limited to 350 women and men in business, sports and entertainment in Southern California.

Speakers confirmed to-date include Jeanie Buss, executive vice president of the Los Angeles Lakers; Ann Meyers Drysdale, sportscaster, Olympian and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame; Penny Marshall, the "ultimate fan"; and Norm Nixon, former player with the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. Emceeing the event will be Bill Macdonald, FSN broadcaster.

Schloessman said: "Basketball 101 will be a fun, informative and unique networking opportunity for high-powered women and men in Los Angeles. The event will create new basketball fans, and if you understand the game better, you'll enjoy it more."

Basketball 101 also is a "friend raiser" for the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation (LALYF) and LASEC. Proceeds from the event will be split evenly between LASEC and the LALYF, both nonprofit organizations.

Several levels of participation are available. Platinum ($10,000), Corporate ($5,000) and Table ($2,500) sponsorships offer a variety of benefits. Additionally, a few individual tickets are available at $250 each.

The evening's agenda includes the following:

--5 p.m. - Check-in, Silent Auction, cocktails and tour of STAPLES Center, plus free-throw practice.

--5:45 p.m. - Buffet dinner.

--6:30 p.m. - Welcome, speaker introduction and Basketball 101 program.

--8:30 p.m. - Special "Women in the NBA" panel presentation.

--9 p.m. - Questions and answers.

--9:30 p.m. - Photos, gift bags and adjournment.

Sponsors confirmed to-date include American Express (Presenting Sponsor); and LA INC. The Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Young's Market Co., both Corporate Sponsors. Table buyers include Bingham Legg Advisers LLC; Delta Air Lines; Deutsche Bank; Enterprise Rent-A-Car; FSN West/FSN West 2; Integrated Transportation Services (ITS) Inc.; Longo Toyota/Lexus and Penske Automotive Group; and Ticketmaster.

Basketball 101 follows on the heels of the highly successful NFL 101 and 201 events, also created by LASEC. "We think Basketball 101 will enjoy equal success," said Schloessman, "and we're looking forward to hosting a sold-out event."

LASEC is the official organization for the city of Los Angeles to seek, host, promote and retain major sporting and entertainment events that positively impact the local economy by attracting visitors to the city, giving them a reason to stay longer and return more frequently. LASEC is a nonprofit organization and an affiliate of LA INC. The Convention and Visitors Bureau.