He could face up to 25 years in prison and more than $500,000 in fines. The bigger concern, however, is not what happens to Donaghy, but what happens to the league I love.

There have long been complaints the NBA's elite players received preferential treatment and favorable calls. The Donaghy scandal only gives those critics more ammunition. But I think the NBA is still the most exciting professional league with the best athletes.

Growing up in Philadelphia, I can still remember cheering for Dr. J and the Sixers. (The only time I didn't cheer for them is when they met up with my L.A. Lakers in the NBA Finals in '82 and '83. I'm still upset the Sixers dispatched of Magic Johnson and Co. in the "83 finals.) But I digress.

Basketball, for me, has become a way of life and I won't let one "rouge ref," as commisioner David Stern called Donaghy, destroy the game I love. The action on the court is still exciting. The athletes still are some of the most graceful in the world. And you never know what breathtaking play may happen around the corner.

So here's hoping the NBA survives the Donaghy scandal. Without the NBA what else would I watch from November to June? Hockey?

This Day In Sports History 8/15

2004 - Team USA loses to Puerto Rico 92-73, at the Olympics. The first loss by a U.S. team made up of NBA players in the Olympics.

Celebrity Birthdays

Ben Affleck 35
Anthony Anderson 37
Debra Messing 39

Kyle "The Insider" Draper
kyle.draper@whas11.com