These days, Dino Smiley, the director of the Drew League, gets all sorts of calls. This one “totally surprised” him.
On the line was a representative of Kristaps Porzingis, the New York Knicks’ rookie sensation.
“He wants to play,” the Porzingis proxy told Smiley. “What does he have to do?”
Porzingis planned to be in Los Angeles for a photoshoot later this summer. His trip would overlap with the Drew League final on August 27.
“When he comes down for the championship game, can he play that day?”
Five years earlier, Smiley had fielded a similar request from a living legend. Back then, it was Kobe Bryant who wanted in. The dog days of the NBA lockout had left him hungry for live competition. He asked about playing in the championship game, even though, per Drew League rules, he couldn’t participate since he hadn’t suited up even once during the summer campaign.
Could Smiley, the longtime proprietor of a fledgling pro-am in Watts, Californ ...
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Article written by Josh Martin