Senator, Pro Hoopster Strickland Looks for Budget Slam Dunk

"I started this when I first got elected to the State Assembly, and we've been doing it now for about eight years," said Strickland. "We get a lot of good athletes out here and we get a good workout."

But Strickland's enthusiasm for basketball goes well beyond these weekly games at the local gym.

Strickland is one of the newest members of the International Basketball League's Los Angeles Lightning.

"When I was a little kid, I always dreamed about playing pro basketball," Strickland said. "I'm actually living two dreams right now."

The 6-5, 240-pounder, who once scored a record-setting 47 points during a game at Whittier College, said moving between his career in politics and basketball is seamless.

"I would say there's a lot of similarities between sports and politics," said Strickland. "In fact, my sports background really helped me succeed in politics."

He points to team work and strategy as key areas of cross-over, and jokes that "there's a lot of sharp elbows happening at the Capitol so it allows me to prepare for the sharp elbows on the court."

Several hours, and one shower after his Wednesday basketball game, Strickland spent time listening to budget-cutting proposals in a Senate Health Committee hearing.

"In basketball and in sports, you have to work with people from different backgrounds and different points of view," he said. "You have to learn to come together for one common goal."

With California facing a $24 billion budget deficit, Strickland has his work cut out of him.

"We need to rebound from the bad plays we've done over the past 10 years," he said. "We need a slam dunk of this budget soon."

The Lightning practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and play games on the weekends. Strickland doesn't practice with the team while the legislature is in session and said he's only missed one game.

"The team has been so supportive. The guys have been fantastic," he said. "They're asking a little more about politics."

Strickland is married to California Assemblywoman Audra Strickland. "It's so exciting to have my wife be able to watch me play at this level," Strickland said.

He's often asked which he loves more, basketball or politics. "I say it's like choosing between my two children," said Strickland. "My little girl Ruby Ruth and my little boy Tiny Tony, they're three and one and I can't choose between them."