J. GANDOLFINI GOES FROM FAT TONY TO SCRAWNY SONNY: DAILY VARIETY has news of James Gandolofini’s next appearance on HBO. Fat Tony will play Scrawny Sonny from Pittsburgh. That is, basketball shoe maven Sonny Vaccaro.

Vaccaro repped Nike to young basketball stars (he signed Michael Jordan for the company) and also was known for running high profile high school basketball camps that served as a recruiting ground for major basketball coaches.

Gandolofini will portray Vaccaro’s character in a film called “ABCD Camp”. Also involved in a producing capacity, Baron Davis. “Friday Night Lights” screenwriter David Aaron Cohen “pitched and will write a drama chronicling the last youth basketball camp established by the corporate sports scout Vaccaro.”

With Davis involved, we’re rooting for a Teri Hatcher cameo as Pat Summitt.

If you want to hear the real Vaccaro, tune to KLAC-AM in Los Angeles. He appears on the sports station’s “Loose Cannons” show at least once a week and we’re guessing he’ll be on today to crow about the project.