STREET BALL, FROM A TO Z

Many NBA notables first made their names on the streets...and
some became street names. A sampling:

AUERBACH WAY. Former Celtics coach and current president Red
Auerbach lends his name to a ramp off of Causeway Street leading
to Boston's FleetCenter.

LARRY BIRD BOULEVARD. This stretch of road runs from the
junction of State Road 56 and State Road 145 to College
Street--the equivalent of three city blocks--in Bird's hometown
of French Lick, Ind.

HAL GREER BOULEVARD. Being the star guard on one of the NBA's
greatest teams--the 1966-67 Sixers--gives you status in your
hometown. Greer's street runs past his college, Marshall, in
Huntington, W.Va.

KAREEM COURT. The stretch of pavement between Manchester and
90th streets outside the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., honors the
maestro of the skyhook.

BOB PETTIT DRIVE. The former star forward for the Hawks, who
last year was named to the NBA's best 50 players list, is
immortalized on a street that cuts through Tigerland, an area
near the Baton Rouge campus of his alma mater, LSU.

ISIAH THOMAS DRIVE. An access road to The Palace of Auburn Hills
bears the name of the former Pistons point guard and current
Raptors executive vice president, basketball. It's really just a
driveway, but, hey, Thomas was known for his drives.

ZINKOFF BOULEVARD. In Philadelphia the lane leading to the
CoreStates Spectrum and CoreStates Center parking lots from
Broad Street is named for legendary Sixers public-address
announcer Dave Zinkoff.

--K.C.B.

COLOR PHOTO: DARRELL MIHO HARD BY HIS OLD HOME COURT IS ABDUL-JABBAR'S EPONYMOUS ASPHALT COURT [Sign reading "Kareem Court"]