"I'm trying to hold some things back," he said. Bradley said he did not believe his ideas would get much attention among voters and in the media if he unveiled them now.

But Bradley elicited the strongest reaction Tuesday when he touted one of the few specific policies he has advocated during the campaign, a proposal to ban the sale of cheap handguns known as "Saturday night specials" and require registration for all handguns.

"It's about time that someone takes on the National Rifle Association," he said to sustained applause. In a jab apparently directed at Gore, who also supports tighter gun restrictions, Bradley said he was "not a Johnny-come-lately on gun control."

Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson and Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan have offered Bradley support in the past, and at the fundraiser, several other sports legends jumped on the Bradley bandwagon.

Democrats found themselves in the odd position of listening to a Republican--former Princeton football star and Heisman trophy winner Dick Kazmaier--extol former president Ronald Reagan before endorsing Bradley for the 2000 race.

Bradley, conservatively listed as 6'5", also found himself in the unusual situation of not being the tallest person in the ballroom. Former Celtic star and fellow Basketball Hall of Famer John Havlicek, taller than Bradley by a hair, turned out to lend his support to the former New York Knick.

Bradley also received the blessing of a member of a different dream team, Fletcher University Professor Cornel R. West '73, a long-time Bradley supporter who roused the audience with his introductory speech.

"He can be president and he ought to be president because he has the ability to lead," West said.