Drew League

The Drew League is a pro–am basketball league held every summer in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1973, the league has grown in popularity over the years, with NBA players regularly participating in its games.

History

The Drew League was founded in 1973 by Alvin Wills, who worked at Charles R. Drew Middle School,[1] and initially counted 6 teams.[2] The league rose in popularity over the 1980s, with an expanding number of teams[3] (10 in 1985,[3] 14 in 1988)[4] and several high-profile high school,[5] college[3] and professional players participating in the games.[6][7] In 1987, Casper Ware Sr. scored 47 points in the Drew League championship game.[6] In 1990 Ed Reed established the all-time high for points scored in a single game with 64.[6] During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the Drew League organizers decided to keep the league open, offering support to the South Central Los Angeles community.[7][4]

During the 2011 NBA lockout, the Drew League saw an increase in popularity due to a higher number of NBA players participating,[3] looking for a place to compete during the summer.[8][9] The attendance rose to 800 per game.[9] Over the years, players from various countries such as China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain participated in the Drew League.[6] In 2012, to face the increased number of people attending, the Drew League moved from Leon H. Washington Park gym to King/Drew Magnet High School.[10] In 2013 Nike started to sponsor the league.[6] In 2016, the average attendance was 1,100.[6] In 2017 the Drew League was featured in the basketball video game NBA Live 18.[11] Since its foundation, more than 20,000 players have participated in the league.[6] As of 2019, 24 teams compete in the Drew League,[12] with the highest number of participating teams being 28 in the previous seasons.[3][7]

The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

Commissioners
  • 1973–1982: Alvin Willis
  • 1983–present: Oris "Dino" Smiley[4]

Venues

Notable players
James Harden and Brandon Jennings, two of the NBA players who participate in the Drew League, during a 2011 game against a Goodman League team.

References
  1. Bushnell, Henry (June 13, 2016). "How LeBron, Kobe and Durant played a role in changing Drew League". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  2. "Drew League. 40 Years of Summer League" (PDF). drewleague.com. 2014. p. 8.
  3. Dorsey, Jesse. "Drew League: Everything You Need to Know About the Star-Studded Summer League". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  4. Drew League. 40 Years of Summer League, 2014, page 4.
  5. Ramirez, Joey (August 7, 2017). "Randle Represents In Drew League Clash of NBA Talent". NBA.com. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  6. Burns, Mark (August 21, 2016). "The Drew League: By The Numbers". Forbes. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  7. Jones, Tony K. (July 16, 2015). "The Drew League Continues To Be South L.A.'S Summer Basketball Showcase". wavenewspapers.com. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  8. Ramirez, Joey (July 25, 2017). "Randle Named Drew League Player of the Week". NBA.com. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  9. Medina, Mark (August 11, 2011). "NBA players stay sharp in Drew League". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  10. Medina, Mark (July 27, 2013). "Drew League celebrates 40th anniversary: From humble beginnings to showcase for NBA stars and celebrities". Daily Breeze. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  11. Nathan, Alec. "NBA Live 18 Revealed by EA, Including New Mode and Demo Release Date". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  12. Williams, Aaron. "DREW LEAGUE TEAMS 101: WHO TO WATCH". drewleague.com. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  13. "Announcement from the Drew League". Drew League. 2020-05-13. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  14. Drew League. 40 Years of Summer League, 2014, pages 11–16.
  15. Babb, Stephen. "Introducing Basketball Legends of California's Famous 'Drew League'". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  16. Joseph, Andrew (August 5, 2018). "Rapper The Game punches his own teammate in Drew League fight". USA Today. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  17. He, Eric (July 20, 2019). "Trae Young, Montrezl Harrell face off and dominate in Drew League". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  18. Medina, Mark (July 31, 2017). "Chris Paul provides memorable Drew League appearance". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  19. Shelton, Cole (March 13, 2018). "Franklin Session: The Unlikeliest Path to the NBLC". NBLCanada.ca. National Basketball League of Canada. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
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