HOLLYWOOD HOOPS: NBA SIGNS DEVELOPMENT DEAL FOR TV SHOWS

          Columbia TriStar TV has signed a long-term deal with
     the NBA "to produce scripted dramas and sitcoms for the
     broadcast networks' primetime schedules," according to John
     Dempsey of DAILY VARIETY.  NBA Commissioner David Stern said
     that "one of the scripts in development" is a half-hour
     comedy-drama "along the lines of ABC's 'Sports Night.'" 
     Columbia TriStar TV Exec VP/Series Development Sarah
     Timberman: "This deal will tap into the NBA's access to the
     players and the teams, and the stories that spring naturally
     from the experience of professional basketball."  Stern said
     that NBA Entertainment is "also talking to at least eight
     cable networks," including Nickelodeon, Lifetime, MTV, and
     BET, about producing "fact-based programming that would
     appeal directly to the subscribers of these channels."  
     Stern is also "close to a deal" for distribution of a "When
     We Were Kings"-type documentary on Michael Jordan's last
     year with the Bulls (DAILY VARIETY, 10/11).