NEW YORK — As a guard with the Detroit Pistons nearly two decades ago, Isiah Thomas tormented opponents on the court while flashing his brilliant smile at them.

In court Monday, Thomas, now president and coach of the New York Knicks, barely looked at his current opponent, a former team executive who is accusing him of sexual harassment in a suit seeking more than $10 million from him and Madison Square Garden, which owns the team.

Anucha Browne Sanders, once the Knicks' vice president of marketing and business operations, accuses Thomas of regularly making sexist comments, calling her derogatory names, telling her he loved her and making other sexual advances in the team offices and during basketball games.

She claims Madison Square Garden fired her for complaining to the company's executives about the treatment she was receiving from her boss, even though she went through normal internal channels to get it stopped.

When she made it known she was going to sue, Browne Sanders claims, executives began an internal review that ended with her firing in January 2006. According to her suit, she was fired for making the allegations against Thomas and for "telling the truth."

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Garden executives claim Browne Sanders, a former Northwestern University basketball player, was fired for poor job performance, not in retaliation for any claims she made.

Thomas, a 12-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, has repeatedly denied the allegations both in public and in court documents.

However, Thomas said in court depositions that in December 2005, he tried to kiss Browne Sanders on the cheek during a game. When Browne Sanders pulled away from him, Thomas asked, "No love today?" according to court documents.

Thomas denied Browne Sanders' allegations that he said he was in love with her and wanted her to go "off site" with him.

During jury selection Monday, prospective jurors were given a four-page jury questionnaire, in which they were asked whether they regularly followed basketball and whether their sports allegiance would hinder their ability to sit on a jury.

The questionnaire asked about their feelings about Knicks players Stephon Marbury and Malik Rose, who the judge hinted may offer testimony in the case.

At day's end, a preliminary group of 23 people were selected to return Tuesday for final jury selection.

Out of the 23 people called to return, 14 had already been questioned by lawyers for both sides, as well as by U.S. District Judge Gerard Lynch. The others were being brought back in case any problems arose.

Browne Sanders, Thomas and Garden executives were flanked by so many attorneys, there was not enough seating for them at counsel tables. The judge limited the number of lawyers present because of space issues.

During individual questioning of the jury pool, the judge asked prospective jurors about any history they might have had with sexual harassment, discrimination or being fired.

One man, a coffee trader, was dismissed because he had been accused of sexually harassing a female coworker.

"It was humiliating," he said. "I was shocked and devastated, too."

Lynch said the man's experience was "too close" to the trial and nearly put him in "the same shoes as the defendant."

Potential jurors also told Thomas about their feelings about him as a person and as a coach.

One prospective juror, who was chosen to return Tuesday, candidly spoke of his views of the All-Star.

"Can I be honest?" he asked. "The team isn't doing so well. He recruits well, but he hasn't done well at all as a general manager."

Thomas bowed his head and chuckled.

Lawyers for the Garden asked for the man to be excused, but the judge denied the request.

"I don't think that interest in this sport means you can't sit on this jury," Lynch said. "So long as it is clear that the jurors understand their role — to listen to the evidence and not be unduly influenced by Mr. Thomas' coaching or the team's performance — I think it is appropriate to keep them around."

Opening statements are scheduled to begin after a jury of eight is finalized Tuesday. The trial is scheduled to last three weeks.