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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Updated: July 18, 5:26 PM ET
Diesel provides a wild ride

By Brian Kamenetzky
Special to Page 3

Flexman, Macy Gray and Shaq
Shaq gets a little help hosting the event from Macy Gray and Funkmaster Flex.
LOS ANGELES -- Shaquille O'Neal revved up the ESPY party scene Tuesday night on one of the backlots at Paramount Studios, hosting the second annual Rollin' 24 Deep: GM All-Car Showdown.

Competing for the title of "King of Bling," athletes and entertainers, including Corey Dillon, Willie McGinest, Terrell Owens, Adrien Brody and Macy Gray, showed off a wide variety of cars so tricked out they'd make Xzibit weep with joy.

While Shaq Daddy was impressed by the interior of Dwyane Wade's bright white '04 Hummer ["That's real oak wood in there," O'Neal said], the flash on The Flash's car was the tip of the iceberg. Actor Orlando Jones's '62 black Chevy BelAir was buttery smooth, while Dodgers outfielder Milton Bradley's ride was a sweet, rust-colored '69 Chevy Chevelle.

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• Diesel provides wild ESPY ride
But the old-school auto that drew the most oohs and aahs -- and the award for Best Old-School Car -- came from the 1953 seafoam green Cadillac Coupe DeVille, belonging to actress Shanna Moakler ("Meet the Barkers") and her husband, "Cadillac fanatic" Travis Barker of Blink 182.

Clippers forward Elton Brand, a classy, understated player on the court, was outfitted with an appropriately classy and (relatively) understated car.

"They gave me the executive look," he said of his 2003 black Cadillac Escalade ESV, elegantly appointed and outfitted with a fax machine. "Not bad."

Vida Guerra
Vida Guerra makes Shaq's GM All-Car show sizzle.
But in the end, it was Clippers teammate Corey Maggette, who stole the show. Maggette's 2003 Blue Raspberry Cadillac Escalade ESV, with its glass seats and Louis Vuitton interior, was good enough to take both "Best Interior" and the overall crown for "King of Bling." His prize? A $20,000 donation to the Corey Maggette Flight 50 Basketball Camp benefiting inner city kids in Chicago.

Afterwards, Shaq's guests, who included Ashton Kutcher, Gabrielle Union, Funkmaster Flex and several NFL players, filed into a secluded spot on the Paramount lot for drinks and dancing where the cars were kept on display. And despite the presence of the MDE, there wasn't a Diesel among them.

ESPY Golf Classic
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- ESPY week teed off Tuesday on the two courses of Lost Canyons Golf Club at the ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic, benefiting The V Foundation. Amateurs were treated to 18 holes with an all-star cast of athletes, entertainers and gamers. Packers running back Ahman Green managed to weather a delay in the shotgun start by playing his PSP.

Stuart Scott
Stuart Scott soaks in a massage at the third hole during Page 3's Brian Kamenetzky interview.
Once play was under way, ESPN anchor Stuart Scott enjoyed a massage on the second hole of the Sky course, while the same course ate up neophyte golfer Julius Jones, who had lost all but two of a dozen Callaways, long before finishing his front nine. Trouble also found Cardinals defensive end Bertrand Berry on the "Shadow" course, but he wasn't discouraged. When asked how long he had been a golfer, he looked at his watch and half-joking replied, "About three hours."

Patriots safety Rodney Harrison landed in a trash-talking group, where the wagers flew as fast as the good-natured insults.

And while stars like Brendan Shanahan, John Cook, and hoops legends John Havlicek and James Worthy represented non-gridiron athletes, Marshall Faulk, Ben Roethlisberger and Jerry Porter and San Francisco 49ers rookie QB Alex Smith helped make the NFL the best represented sport of the tourney.

Corey Wright
Corey Wright, 12, scored autographs from athletes at the ESPY Golf Classic.
But it was a soccer player and an X-Gamer that stole the show. Katie Thorlakson, ESPY nominee for Female College Athlete of the Year, drove the green on the uphill No. 1 hole on the "Shadow" course, while BMX megastar Dave Mirra led his group to a 20-under finish.

"I can't see anyone doing much better than that," he said. "It was amazing."

Brian Kamenetzky is a freelance writer in Los Angeles.