The Legend of the Hungry Wolf in Basketball

Chapter 390 [Drew All-Star Game! 】

The NBA has just entered the lockout period. Optimistic experts once predicted that neither the labor nor the management can afford to be injured. After some bargaining, the new NBA season will definitely be able to proceed as scheduled. But now it seems that the labor negotiations have not made progress. The negotiations will not start until September, and the final result is even more unknown.

The lockout made the summer of 2011 somewhat dull for basketball fans.Owners and players risk being fined $100 million for even a wink in the street.Gone are the potential trades, volatile free agency, and rough-and-ready summer league.The unbearable NBA stars are unwilling to be lonely, and they have joined the semi-professional league in the summer to maintain their form and make friends with the ball, which has caused the popularity of the "Drew League" in Los Angeles.

For a time, fans all over the United States circulated rumors of "Want to watch the stars? Please come to the Drew League".The media said that the NBA's suspension not only did not "lose" the summer league, but fulfilled them.
What exactly is the Drew League?Why did it attract so many stars?
In June 1973, Erwin Willis established the Drew Alliance.In the early days of its establishment, there were only 6 teams in the league, and the composition of players was not fixed.Submit the team registration list before the start of the summer league, but before each game, you can recommend a newcomer to join the team, provided that he must pass the league's review. will be allowed into the league.Because this is a "pure" union.

Although the league is small and not high-caliber, Willis doesn't take the route most amateur leagues take on the streets.The dark side of street culture has no market here. In Willis' eyes, using basketball as a medium to enable young men and women in South Los Angeles to learn the true meaning of life is the most important purpose of this league.In Willis' view, what the Drew League can bring to everyone is a correct concept of basketball and even a concept of life. This concept cannot improve your skills, but it will accompany you into high school, college and even society.

Willis established this alliance, and Dino Smiley was a key figure in the development and growth of this alliance.As a close friend of Willis, Smiley has always supported Willis and the alliance. In 1985, Willis decided to hand over the operation of the league to Smalley.It was also in this year that the Drew League began to break through the limit of 6 teams, reaching 10 and 12 teams. Until today, it only has the scale of "20 invited teams to participate".It can be said that Smiley made great contributions to the development of this alliance.

30 years ago, no one knew about this obscure little league, and no one would have thought that it would attract so many big-name NBA stars to play games, but now, all of this is already a fact.

This league is different from the general street basketball league, and has become a platform for everyone to communicate and form a healthy thinking mode.Now, that goal remains the same.No matter how many big-name people come, they must follow Drew's rules, and no one can be an exception.

The so-called Drew's rules are equality and mutual respect.Hip-hop music full of dirty words will not be played here, although this is a must for most street leagues. Even the famous rapper The Game enters the league and is strictly monitored by Smiley. If there is excessive behavior, you will be expelled.As powerful as Ye Feng, he must also abide by the rules, and not let the game become a stage for him alone.

Although the Drew League has become more and more famous and has more and more fans due to the joining of more and more big-name players, he still insists on the principle of free when it was created 40 years ago. The game is still open and free of tickets. Basically voluntary donations from fans.

People can only see the purest basketball by separating basketball from interests. Therefore, the Drew League will never stop.

The popularity of the Drew League is amazing. Many NBA stars are willing to participate in such an amateur league without any bonuses. It is unprecedented in history, and the limelight has long overshadowed Rock Park in New York.
These macho men who have been with basketball all day long have lost the possibility of using the club's venues and equipment for summer training and exercise. They must find a new venue to consume their excess hormones. Basketball is undoubtedly the purest place, and it is also the place that makes them feel the most happy and can dispel the haze of the lockout.

On the 11th, the media broke the news that Ye Feng accepted Durant's challenge. Durant had Harden to help, and it was not easy for Ye Feng to win.

On this day, Nuggets veteran Andre Miller immediately expressed his willingness to form a team with Ye Feng.Miller's contract will expire next season. It's normal for young people to play streetball. It's inevitable that he, a 35-year-old veteran, will come to Los Angeles to show his favor. will clippers.

Also joining Ye Feng's side is JaVale McGee, who was previously traded to the Cavaliers.It was once reported that McGee left because of a quarrel with Ye Feng, but now that the two are joining forces in a high-profile manner, the rumors are self-defeating.

There is also the retired star "Old Cat" Mobley. He has been living in Los Angeles, and he participated in the Drew League when he felt it was an itch. He has already played one game and scored 37 points.Now he wants to make up for the regret of not being able to join forces with Ye Feng in the NBA.

The media began to speculate that Ye Feng's team had the upper hand, Kobe, Rose, DeRozan, Wall and a group of other stars were also preparing to participate in this game. What was supposed to be a match between the two turned into an all-star matchup.

Jennings wanted to challenge Kobe, so he also joined Ye Feng's team. He wore a T-shirt with the words "Nobody Likes a Snake" in an interview, provoking openly. The snake was referring to Kobe.
The popularity of the game also made the Drew League discover its own business opportunities. Now Smalley is actively looking for a large arena to undertake the game, so as to accommodate more and more fans who want to watch the stars play.The TV station will also broadcast the game live. Many TV stations, such as ESPN, who have nothing to do this summer, are interested in broadcasting the Drew League game.Smalley has repeatedly stated that this is not for profit, but that there are too many stars, and he hopes more people will see it.

Smalley also "strike while the iron is hot" and another amateur league, Washington's Goodman League, will organize a rivalry game similar to the NBA All-Star Game this weekend.However, Drew clearly has the upper hand in the league. If the two sides face each other, it may become a massacre. Drew has confirmed that Ye Feng, Durant, Miller, Kobe, Jennings, DeRozan, McGee, Harden, Nick Young, Wall and a group of big names.The players invited by the Goodman League include Michael Beasley, Tyreke Evans, Ty Lawson, DeMarcus Cousins, Gary Neal, Dongte Green, Sarah Mu Young and Josh Selby et al.

The game is scheduled to take place on August 8, and tickets are already sold out online. It costs $20 to enter the stadium to watch the game, and $25 to sit on the sidelines.

On August 8, the two sides formed teams, and the game was broadcast live on ESPN, with "Magic" Johnson and Jeff Van Gundy commenting.The venue for the battle was moved from the shabby Charles Drew High School basketball gymnasium to the UCLA University gymnasium.

The arena was packed.If you want to watch the game, you have to stand honestly on the sidelines, and the front is likely to be full of guys who came one step earlier.

This is not the Staples Center. There are no luxurious and complete supporting facilities. The only thing that attracts people is basketball.On this day, the home court of the game belongs to the "Liar 2 Team" of the Drew League. Normally, the team's roster guarantees that the fans will not know anyone.But today was obviously different. When the players came out, everyone dropped their jaws in shock, and then gave out strong cheers, mixed with a few swear words expressing excitement.Many people who came from other places to watch the game thought it was worth it!

Ye Feng walked in the front and waved to the fans on the sidelines. His teammates included Raptors power forward Ed Davis, dunk DeRozan, Cavaliers center JaVale McGee and forward Craig Smith , Minnesota's new No. 60 pick Derek Williams, Rockets' Terrence Williams, Bucks guard Jennings, "Old Cat" Mobley, Nuggets Andre Miller, Wizards Nick Young and the Quick Ship [-] rookie Isiah Thomas.

The opponent of "Liar Team 2" is the team called "Go Ham" formed by the famous American rapper Taylor.After Taylor joined, he immediately used his popularity and good popularity in the NBA to attract a large number of NBA stars to join. The Go Ham team put together an all-star lineup.

Joey Dorsey, Joe Smith, Charity World Peace (Artest), Wesley Johnson, Shannon Brown, Austin Daye, John Wall, Thunder Three Young Durant, Rose , Harden.There is also Kobe of the Lakers. The only player on this team who is not an NBA star is Taylor.

Artest still changed his name.People can say "I hate Artest," but they can't say "I hate charity world peace." From that perspective, it's a really good name.

When the players of the Go Ham team came out, all the fans were shocked. They knew that it would be a star confrontation, but they didn't expect so many people to come, and there were more Go Ham All-Star players.Just looking at the roster, you will find that this is not an amateur league at all, but a real NBA contest. The scoring champion and MVP are all here.And LeBron James also joined the Washington Goodwin League, and will play in the two-league elite match that will be staged on the weekend.

Every corner of the stadium was filled with people.In the end, the organizer had to close the goal and told the fans that if they left the arena, they were not allowed to enter again.The arrival of many NBA stars makes the Drew League full of stars and full of extravagance.A special Drew All-Star game is about to be staged!
(End of this chapter)