‘Air Bones’ Shoe Line Unlikely

The slam dunk contest winner isn’t stuffing his pockets with endorsement money.

“Well, my phone hasn’t been ringing off the hook, which isn’t something I expected or even wanted,” said Brent Barry of the Los Angeles Clippers, who won the slam dunk contest last month during All Star Weekend.

“Everybody said, ‘All of a sudden, your status is going to change,’ and I tell you what, (coach) Bill Fitch pretty much reassured me that my status was going nowhere. I was on cloud nine when I got home that weekend. He came up to me and said ‘Good job, here’s your practice gear,’ and I was back down to the ground. He made sure I kept a level head about the whole thing, and it was back to business with the team.”

Barry, a skinny guard whose nickname is “Bones,” said the biggest changes he’s seen are an increase in fan mail, more comments from opponents and more recognition on the road.

Barry, who already had a sneaker deal with Nike, said the company won’t be coming out with a new line of “Air Bones” signature shoes.

Barkley’s vote

Charles Barkley of the Phoenix Suns, who has talked about running for governor of Alabama as a Republican, isn’t enthralled with the GOP’s slate of presidential candidates.

The field is so poor, he said, that he might end up voting for President Clinton.

Barkley said conservative commentator Pat Buchanan “represents the angry white male. The only problem with that is they’re the ones who screwed this thing up in the first place.”

Barkley said he preferred Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas, who dropped out of the race, over frontrunner Bob Dole.

“Dole probably is going to win (the nomination), but I don’t think he can beat Bill Clinton,” Barkley said.

A big mess

Shawn Bradley is being sued by his former landlord near Philadelphia, who claims the 7-foot-6 center is responsible for $20,712 in damages.

Bradley, who was paying $4,000 a month in rent, had an agreement in the lease that allowed him to raise the doorway between the kitchen and dining room at his own expense.

Bradley eventually subleased the property, and the owners claim that the kitchen appliances, hardwood floors, a carpet and other household items are damaged.