Welcome to the Dogg days of summer -- the Southern California Summer Pro League, to be exact.

Last Saturday, on the campus of Cal State Long Beach, I watched the Magic Johnson All-Stars, led by their namesake, take on Young Guns, a team featuring ex-NBA player Ed O'Bannon, Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez and Niners receiver Terrell Owens.

This installment of the L.A. summer league is a welcome departure from the previous day's contest between the Lakers and Sonics. That was a typically somnolent session in which backups and draft picks try to impress assistant coaches before training camp starts. But this game is, well, a little different.

To wit: Ten minutes into the game, Magic's team, needing an offensive spark, went to its bench. Onto the floor, swimming in a baggy maroon jersey, purple warm-up pants and gold Dada hightops, came LBC's favorite son -- Snoop Doggy Dogg. With the colorful Magic and heartthrob Gonzalez already on the floor, the pimp factor rose to an unprecedented level. And lest anyone sleep on his hoop skills, and think his presence just a celebrity gimmick, Snoop immediately got busy. His trademark long black hair pulled into a tight ponytail, Snoop cut through the lane, took a pass from Damon Arnette, and put it in with his right hand. In five strong minutes, he had six points and two boards.

But the performance was lost on another member of the hip-hop community. Sitting behind the basket, wearing a Latrell Sprewell jersey, baggy shorts, and low-cut old-school Nikes was hip-hop clown Ed Lover. His summation: "Snoop looks crazy out there." Check the mirror, Lover.

While Lover was busy hatin', Magic, sensing the crowd's boredom with his team's performance, got his freak on ... basketball style that is. Trailing 118-99, Johnson drove the lane, scooped it in with his left, and got fouled. Spurred on by the screaming crowd, Johnson hoisted his 255-pound frame onto the scorer's table and struck a double-biceps pose.

Though his team lost 134-130, and the crowd was, at times, mesmerized by the strong play of Owens, Gonzalez, and Snoop, Johnson's message was clear: wherever a celebrity basketball game is played in L.A., it's always Magic's house!

You can e-mail Alan Grant at alan.grant@espnmag.com.