He argued there is no evidence the NBA was a party to the adverse treatment to which Baylor maintains he was subjected during his tenure as the Clippers' general manager.

Freeman scheduled a hearing on the NBA motion for June 12 and said he wants mediation completed by Sept. 10, if possible.

Today's court session was the first since Baylor filed his lawsuit on Feb. 11. He was dismissed last fall after 22 years as general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Baylor claims he was "discriminated against and unceremoniously released from his position with the team on account of his age and his race," and that he was "grossly underpaid during his tenure with the Clippers, never earning more than $350,000 per year, when compared with the compensation scheme for general managers employed by every other team in the NBA ."

The NBA is named in the lawsuit as "a joint venturer/partner of condoning, adopting and ratifying this discriminatory practice since the league is fully aware of salaries paid to all of the general managers."

Baylor's lawyer, Carl E. Douglas, called the NBA's dismissal motion "posturing" of the type that he said is often seen during the preliminary stages of litigation.

Baylor became vice president of Basketball operations with the Clippers in 1986 after a playing career with the Lakers and a brief stint as coach of the New Orleans Jazz.

He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976, chosen as one of the NBA's 50 greatest players during the league's 50th anniversary celebration in 1997, and named the NBA executive of the year following the 2005- 06 season.

Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, now in his sixth season in Los Angeles, added Baylor's GM duties after the Hall of Famer's departure three weeks before the season began. Dunleavy said at the time that Baylor had resigned.