Road to Los Angeles runs through Yakima

BOISE – For a young man who, five months ago, was lying unconscious on an operating table with his chest pried open and his exposed, ailing heart beating in the hands of another human being, Ronny Turiaf is doing quite well.

Well enough, in fact, to return to professional basketball. The former Gonzaga University standout and second-round draft pick of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers made his debut for the Continental Basketball Association’s Yakama Sun Kings Monday night, scoring nine points and pulling down five rebounds in a 120-111 loss to the Idaho Stampede in Qwest Arena.

“It felt good. It felt good to be out there being a part of a team and enjoying the game again,” Turiaf, 22, said after playing almost 20 minutes and showing no effects of the open-heart surgery he underwent in late July to repair an enlarged aortic root discovered by the Lakers’ team doctors.

A crowd of 3,012, well above the 2,189 the Stampede had averaged in nine previous home games, were on hand. Included was a group of about 150 Gonzaga alumni and boosters from the Boise area, who sat behind the Sun Kings’ bench. Many arrived early, exchanged high fives with Turiaf and cheered his every move during warm-ups. Most stayed to greet Turiaf with polite applause as he emerged from the media interview area after the game.

“It makes you feel so fortunate and so grateful to see how much love I get everywhere I go – especially here on the west side of the United States,” said Turiaf, who stopped to sign autographs on his way to the team bus. “I just want to tell all those people who have come out to support me and who were with me for my surgery that I really and truly appreciate that.”

Turiaf admitted he tired early Monday night, but got his second wind.

“And after that, I felt good,” he added. “At Gonzaga and in the (NBA) Summer League, I could play 37-38 minutes without getting tired. I’d get tired, but I could fight through it and still be effective. But now, when I get tired my brain shuts down and I’m not as effective … I’m just trying to get back in game shape.”

Turiaf said he has no firm timetable on when he might rejoin the Lakers, who voided his original contract but hold his signing rights for three years. Lakers coach Phil Jackson reportedly requested a videotape of Monday’s game, but Turiaf indicated he is not willing to wait indefinitely.

“We’re just talking right now,” he said. “But if they don’t call me back, I’ll have to go overseas somewhere. I have to take care of my family and stuff.”

Turiaf, a native of Le Robert, Martinique, entered the game with 2 minutes, 29 seconds left in the opening period.