Jeff Hamilton admits he has more than a vested interest in wanting the Los Angeles Lakers to get past the Sacramento Kings and go on to win their third straight NBA title. Sure, Hamilton is a big fan who has had courtside seats for the past six years, and he's close enough with Lakers owner Jerry Buss that he also has two championship rings. But Hamilton wants the Lakers to win another title primarily for business reasons.

	The Los Angeles Lakers and Robert Horry are revved up in their pursue of a 'three-peat.'

Hamilton is the owner of Jeff Hamilton Industries, the maker of NBA championship leather jackets since 1989. So he knows the value of the phrase "three-peat."

"Our most successful years selling have been when we had the chance to use 'three-peat' and 'repeat the three-peat' with the Bulls," Hamilton said. "People have trademarked all these new catch phrases, but none of them will work as good as three-peat does."

A three-peat by the Lakers would mean as much as three times the usual business, Hamilton says. Officials from at least five NBA licensees also said they would make "three-peat" gear if the Lakers won again this season.

Not only was the phrase first turned in Los Angeles, as the Lakers were celebrating back-to-back titles in the late 1980s, but legend has it that Lakers guard Byron Scott was actually the person to coin it. Scott, of course, is now the head coach of the New Jersey Nets, who are trying to get to this year's NBA Finals themselves.

Pat Riley, the Miami Heat's president and coach, trademarked the phrase in 1989 when he was the Lakers' head coach, but he didn't earn immediate profits because the Lakers lost in the 1989 NBA Finals to the Detroit Pistons. But the royalty checks soon came with the Bulls' two runs of three-peats in the '90s and the New York Yankees' string of World Series wins in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Riley says he has donated to charity all net profits earned for use of the phrase, which has been plastered on everything from T-shirts to plaques, and mugs to collectors plates.

Riley's attorney John Aldrich, as well as NBA officials, declined to comment on the royalty companies pay to use the term.

	Byron Scott

As for Riley trademarking a phrase perhaps first coined by Scott, there's no bitterness from the Nets coach, his agent Brian McInerney says.

"Byron didn't do it and Riley did and the more power to him," McInerney told ESPN.com. "Great ideas are only worth something to those that have the trademark or patent to it. But I think Pat gave Byron enough knowledge in return for whatever money he makes from this."

Paying the royalty for the 'three-peat' phrase on his jackets is worth the investment, says Carl Banks, the former New York Giants linebacker who owns sports apparel company G-III. "It's the vernacular," Banks said. "People hear it all season on TV, so it wouldn't be the same if you did a 'Back2Back2Back.' "

"If the Lakers win and you don't pay extra to get 'three-peat,' you won't sell as much," said Kevin O'Neill, national sales manager for Antigua, an NBA-licensed manufacturer of championship T-shirts and polos.

While O'Neill said increased costs associated with the royalty are passed on to consumers, Dick Pope, CEO of Wincraft, which makes banners, signs, pennants and wind flags and one of the NBA's oldest licensed manufacturers, said his company's customers won't feel much of a pinch.

"There's a lesser margin, but fans expect 'three-peat,' so they shouldn't have to pay more," Pope said.

Of course, before licensees can begin churning out "three-peat" products, the Lakers first have to "two-peat" -- as in win back-to-back games against the Kings. And then they's have to beat the Nets or Celtics in the Finals.

Curious product placement
Much ado was made about Kobe Bryant's bad room service meal -- a cheeseburger and a slice of cheesecake -- that allegedly had him playing sick during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals in Sacramento. Before Game 3, NBC reporter Jim Gray asked him what he had eaten before the game, Bryant, ever the endorser, replied, "A burger. McDonald's." Bryant, who signed to a multi-year deal with the fast-food company in January 2001.

Prior planning pays off

	Mark Prior's signed, game-used baseball cap from his days with the Diamond Jaxx has become a hot commodity since his debut with the Cubs.

Although he only made six starts for the them, the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx didn't want pitching phenom Mark Prior to move on to the Cubs before making his mark in Jackson, Tenn. So during his month-long stay, Diamond Jaxx officials had Prior sign 250 memorabilia items.

They had him sign seven game-used balls from his April 22 start, and asked him to wear a different cap for each game and sign them as well. He also signed numerous photographs of himself, logo balls and 50 copies of the April 25 edition of the USA Today, which had a feature article on him. In the days after Prior made his major-league debut with the Cubs on May 22, during which he earned the victory and struck out 10 batters, the Diamond Jaxx were flooded with calls.

"I wanted to answer the phone, 'Mark Prior Industries,' " said Jason Compton, the team's director of ticketing and merchandise. "We were talking to card dealers non-stop and we took more calls from people asking for Mark's stuff than we took for tickets."

Compton said the team sold 1,800 of the six-card set that included Prior in a Diamond Jaxx uniform, at $7.50 a pack, during a 48-hour span. The team also put up 20 items on eBay, including the game-used hats and balls, which were accompanied by certificates of authenticity signed by the team's general manager. Compton said the team can expect to earn between $15,000 to $20,000 in profits, thanks to Prior, who gets a cut of the deal.

The eBay bids alone yielded $4,200. "We knew he was going to be here for a short amount of time and we capitalized on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Compton said.

The Cubs have started capitalizing on Prior, as well. Prior-signed balls on the team's Web site are selling for $89.95.

Diamond anniversary special
Diamond Kings' baseball cards, which include player portraits, have been a staple of card company Donruss for the past 20 years.

To celebrate its anniversary, Donruss has released a set of 150 Diamond Kings, with 130 of the original oil paintings being sold on eBay. Each week, Donruss will put up 20 paintings on the auction site with a minimum bid of $150. As of Wednesday evening, Mark Prior ($679) and Pittsburgh Pirates great Roberto Clemente ($660) had attracted the most attention. Packs are selling for $4 each.

Darren Rovell covers sports business for ESPN.com. He can be reached at darren.rovell@espn.com.