five-day holiday on the island today, where they will spend most of their time playing golf and indulging in recreational pursuits like fishing, jet skiing and enjoying a couple of boat cruises.

The basketball stars, including Seattle Supersonics' forward Eddie Johnson, New Jersey Nets' forward Derrick Coleman, Utah Jazz centre Mark Eaton, Cleveland Cavaliers' forward Mike Sanders and New York Knicks centre Herb Williams, will begin arriving tonight from various destinations across the US.

They will be in Bermuda until Monday and the tour has been arranged by the NBA Players' Association. Each summer several tours bring some of the brightest stars in pro basketball to exotic destinations.

Most of the players will be spending the majority of their time here on the golf course, most notably Port Royal GC, and they will also participate in several boat cruises, among them a trip which will take them to Hawkins Island for a barbeque.

Tagging along for the visit will be members of the players' families and in some cases their agents or close friends.