R. Kelly angrily hurls basketball at reporter at rec center

MARKHAM | His night in court

For five turbulent years, the regular midnight basketball game in south suburban Markham provided R. Kelly's shelter from the stresses of the world.

But with jury selection expected to start today in his repeatedly delayed child pornography trial, Kelly's temper snapped early Thursday morning.

Kelly angrily hurled a basketball at a SouthtownStar reporter who asked to watch the game.

Then a towering, burly bodyguard escorted the reporter and a photographer from the Harold Murphy Recreation Center.

The 41-year-old R&B star, who now lives in Olympia Fields, has been a passionate basketball fan since his South Side childhood. He scored his best-known hit, "I Believe I Can Fly," on the soundtrack to the Michael Jordan movie "Space Jam."

Under an unusual arrangement, Kelly leases the publicly funded recreation center almost every weeknight between midnight and 2 a.m. to play hoops with his entourage, leaving his $460,000 Maybach sedan parked outside.

Park District officials say they gave special permission for the games.

Kelly pays $90 an hour for the court and the watchful eyes of two park district police officers.

Though Kelly's game is limited, an insider who has played against Kelly says the singer insists on playing point guard and "hogs the ball and shoots all the time."

"His team wins every night or he gets upset," the insider said.

On Thursday morning, Kelly, wearing a headband, shorts and a tank top, stopped the game when he saw the reporter and photographer enter the gym.

As friends, including two young women, and a Markham Park District police officer looked on, Kelly lobbed the ball at the reporter, stood with his hands on his hips and motioned for a lackey to eject the unwelcome visitors.

"This is a private event," one staff member said as the doors slammed shut.

Kelly's media adviser, New York-based Allan Mayer, says Kelly uses the games to "blow off steam."

"R. Kelly has been looking forward to his day in court for a long time," Mayer said.

But Kelly's demeanor will be scrutinized in the coming weeks as observers throughout the world look for clues about his state of mind, said Glenn Selig, the public relations guru who has advised Drew Peterson in recent months.

"If I was representing [Kelly], first off I'd remind him that every step he takes will be analyzed, that people want to see someone who is not arrogant but who recognizes they are going into a very serious situation.

Sun-Times News Group