The NBA offseason has never truly felt like a drought for basketball fans thanks to the Drew League. The infamous pro-am association has developed into one of the biggest staples of basketball culture. Many of the game’s biggest stars — like LeBron James, James Harden, and DeMar DeRozan — have all made appearances. But not everyone can just walk in and play whenever they want. Kobe Bryant learned that the hard way.
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The Drew League began in 1973 as a recreational league aimed at keeping people off the streets. Alvin Wills was the man behind its creation. In 1985, he passed the torch to Oris “Dino” Smiley, who has since handed the role of commissioner to his daughter, Chaniel.
Chaniel has been around the Drew League for most of her life. She’s watched it grow from a local cult favorite in Los Angeles to a mainstream source of entertainment. And one specific moment changed the league’s trajectory forever.
“2011, NBA shut down, no more games played,” Smiley said on the Get Got Pod with Marshawn Lynch & Mike Robinson. “Where are all these guys going to play at? That’s when they came to the Drew.”
Chaniel goes on to name LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Bryant as some of the key players who helped elevate the Drew League that year. Once they stepped onto that court, the league exploded in popularity, and many NBA players began making it a yearly tradition to participate.
Kobe wanted to be one of those players. Unfortunately, Chaniel had to make the difficult decision to decline his request. Marshawn and Mike couldn’t believe what they were hearing — but Chaniel stood by the decision, insisting the reasoning was sound.
“We pride ourselves on integrity,” Chaniel said. “If you want a team in the league, you have to pay and play certain games. Rules is rules for everybody. He wanted to play, and we were like, ‘Dang Kobe, it’s the semifinals, we can’t let you jump in.'”
Fans might think that many players make sudden appearances at the Drew League, but participation has to be approved in advance. Bryant didn’t meet the requirements to play in the semifinal game, so he wasn’t allowed on the court.
Understanding the significance of Bryant suiting up, Chaniel and the league found another way to let the Los Angeles Lakers superstar play. It turned out to be the right call, as Bryant’s performance remains one of the most iconic moments in Drew League history.
