By Shaniece Nicole (IG: shaniece_nicole_)
LOS ANGELES, CA – Rucker Park, West 4th St Street Courts, and South Central’s, Drew League have played a pivotal role in being cornerstones of inner city development.
From giving streetball legends, collegiate athletes, aspiring and former athletes a platform to participate in the game they love to creating memories for the youth and community with extraordinary performances by NBA greats such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Julius Erving, and Nate “Tiny” Archibald, both New York and Los Angeles are divine in its purpose to serving communities, celebrating greatness, and contributing to the history of basketball.
As youth in the inner city, you’re often allotted three options: sports, music, or unfortunately fallen victim to inner-city violence. Through black initiative programs, civic engagement, and social impact and education reform, communities are seeing glimpses of hope for black youth. However, these actions haven’t been enough to prevent nor dismantle the injustices and inequalities that are systematically destroying the chances of predominantly black and brown spaces from achieving at the same rate as non-black and brown spaces. One thing is for certain, longevity is critical in the climb for equality.
The Drew League was established in 1973 with six teams by Alvin Wills, a year after New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm became the first black person to campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and five years prior to Muhammad Ali becoming the first heavyweight to win the title three times by defeating Leon Spinks in New Orleans.
This South Central LA pro-am league whose mission is to help young people form meaningful relationships on and off the court and foster life lessons through the game of basketball, has survived some of history’s most violent acts against the African American community, including the crack epidemic of the 1980s, the decline of the Black Panther Party, and the brutal beating of Rodney King in 1991.
(Courtesy of Hoopsmixtape)
49 years later the league has and continues to grow with up to 28 “invitation only” teams. In a two-week time span, the community has witnessed a 42 point and 16 rebound performance by an all-time great in LeBron, an inspirational performance by one-armed basketball sensation Hansel Enmanuel, and a special treat from Atlanta Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young this past Saturday. Let’s not forget the late great Kobe Bryant’s buzzer beater over James Harden during the 2011 NBA lockout. Hundreds of people would wait anxiously to be a part of these special moments. For some, this may be the only chance for them to see their favorite player play the game of basketball as NBA tickets are sky-rocketing.
For athletes, the Drew League is perhaps one of the most authentic ways to remain connected to their roots and to be celebrated in true fashion by those who understand, cherish, and need them. How special is it to have a sacred space without distortion or corruption. The Drew League is in a league of its own.
The Drew League can also be watched on ESPN, the first pro-am league to be streamed by the NBA.
