NBA favorite Drew League takes flight, but stays grounded in its roots
HAWTHORNE, Calif. — In 1973, Alvin Willis founded a six-team summer basketball league at Drew Middle School in South Central Los Angeles as a way to keep local kids off the streets. Dino Smiley kept score using a chalkboard.
Forty-three years later, Smiley stood in front of a Jordan-branded jet at an airport hangar in nearby Hawthorne, watching two of the Drew League’s teams compete as part of a massive Nike-sponsored Team USA event.
“Times are good,” he said, laughing.
Yes, times are good for the Drew thanks to a big boost from Nike and the 2011 NBA lockout, which saw Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James breathe new life into the league.
Saturday’s event, dubbed the “Nike + Jordan hangar” included a electronic scoreboard with video replay, a display of Team USA uniforms past and present, food trucks, a performance from Chance the Rapper and a dunk contest where the winner drove home an Aston Martin.
So, how does the league keep its heart in the midst of the glitz and glamor?
Talent, for one. The second game of the Drew League’s doubleheader at the Nike event pitted the Problems team of Drew League veteran Nick Young and his Los Angeles Lakers teammate Jordan Clarkson, against L.A. native Baron Davis, Terrence Ross of the Toronto Raptors and former league MVP Casper Ware Jr.’s BB4L.
“Our players, they didn’t want it to be a la-la showcase,” said Smiley, who took over as commissioner in 1983. “We wanted to put four of our best teams out here and have everyone playing their best.”
Smiley was also quick to note that several members of this year’s Team USA side — Durant, DeMar DeRozan and Klay Thompson — have also taken their talents to the Drew.
Another key in maintaining the league’s original grit is the level of competition. The motto of the Drew is, “No excuse. Just produce.” What happens if you don’t? Just ask Young and Clarkson, whose squad was dropped 103-94 a week after an embarrassing loss to James Harden’s LAUNFD. Or ask Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond, who got dunked on twice Sunday.
“Whether it’s overseas players, college players, NBA players, they all want to compete,” said George Preciado, the longtime voice of the Drew League. “Competing is the main thing in the Drew League. If you have a passion, a focus to compete, it’s gonna be perfect.”
Even with the support of Nike, which began sponsoring the league three years ago, it’s important for Smiley to keep things authentic, which is why Preciadio still called the action and Saturday’s departure from King-Drew was only brief.
Still, the growth of the league hasn’t sat well with everyone. Last year, rapper The Game, a Drew League regular, sat out because of Nike’s involvement.
“See, the problem with homegrown organizations is once they go corporate, it takes the raw, original format & waters it down until it becomes something forced versus something that was REAL, AUTHENTIC & for the neighborhood,” he captioned an Instagram post that has since been taken down. “We as people that grew up in Compton & the surrounding areas must put our foot down & stand up to big companies & their politics in order to not lose ourselves, our culture & the things we enjoy the most that were created in the hood, FOR THE HOOD.”
Preciado sees things differently.
“At first, at Drew Middle School, there wasn’t that much diversity,” Preciado said. “The diversity started coming with the NBA lockout. Once we got to King-Drew, it was so beautiful. It’s so beautiful to see every race having a good time, enjoying basketball. It’s the power of sports.”
