Los Angeles Breakers Basketball

Today’s post is brought to us today by Carolyn Hastings, basketball blogging guru extraordinaire and writer of And One. As you can tell by that name and my intro that the focus is on hoops. I really appreciate that she took the time to contribute and am a fan of her writings. Thank you, Carolyn and take it away:

We've changed the paradigm of basketball. --Farmer Pete, Half-Pints captain (Canada)

I have a giant crush on a little person. His name is David Guzman and he plays for the Los Angeles Breakers, a basketball team made up entirely of male and female athletes ranging in height from 4'0" to 4'9".

Founded in 1986 under the auspices of the Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA), the Breakers are 10 time National and 3 time World Dwarf Basketball Champions. They also regularly outplay non-dwarf adult teams in local high schools, churches and other venues.

Two basic rules differ from traditional basketball:

Rebounds: Opposing team must let the ball bounce once after a shot is taken before taking possession. Breakers, however, may take the ball prior to the bounce.

Bounce Pass: Opposing team must make a bounce pass when passing the ball to other players so Breakers have a chance of stealing the pass.

If you forget either rule, it's counted as a turn over.

They don't lose often, which is why Jimmy Kimmel has a right to brag.

Before The Jimmy Kimmel Show, before (and during) the Ben Stein era, Jimmy was a radio legend in Los Angeles. The sports guy on Kevin & Bean's KROQ morning show starting in 1994, he and the "Kevin and Bean Family" once played the Breakers and lost, so when Jimmy announced his departure to devote more time to his television projects, a pre-parting rematch was only appropriate.

The game was played at Cal State Fullerton; hundreds of people were turned away due to a crowd that began lining up hours before tipoff.

Members of the Breakers are used to jokes, sarcasm, even insults. They get even on the court. Over and over and over. So, even though Jimmy enjoys referring to the team as "The Shrimpians," the Breakers went easy on him, allowing JK to leave town with a one point victory.

The LA Breakers use their games as fundraisers with the team's portion of the proceeds donated to DAAA.

Enough goodwill, let's talk about David. Prior to publication, I e-mailed DG for more information; he chose not to respond or marry me.

DG provides halftime entertainment with his fabulous dance moves (see video at top of post).

David's bio on LABreakers.net:

Actor: PUNK'D, Mad TV, Dog Eat Dog, and Best Damn Sports Show Period.

I'll let you know when he writes me back. Or calls. Probably right about the time LeBron gets around to it.

Check it out:

Eric & Jeff Manuel, twin Breakers, are friends with Zach from Little People, Big World, the TLC reality show which follows the lives of the Roloffs.

Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA) is dedicated to serving the estimated quarter million Americans who are dwarfs (5 feet or less adult height) as a result of chondrodysplasia or related causes.

Dennis Rodman stars in The Minis, a "heartwarming comedy" about a dwarf basketball team asking the Rod Man to be their fifth player.

Little People of America (LPA) is a nonprofit organization that provides support and information to people of short stature and their families.

Clothing and practical tools for persons of short stature.

Little People - Learning to See the World Through My Daughter's Eyes by Dan Kennedy, award-winning journalist and father of Rebecca, diagnosed with achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism, shortly after birth.

By the way - you can also find Carolyn at this link, here, and here.