At 3 a.m. Saturday in Buffalo, N.Y., Dion Wright got a call that changed his entire day.
It took several sources to sway Wright: He had already seen messages in his group chat he had dismissed. His tune changed when he saw DeMar DeRozan – a Compton native and frequent Drew League competitor – hint that James would be playing on his team MMV Cheaters.A 6 a.m. flight from Buffalo got him in for the 2 p.m. game that saw James make a return to the South Central pro-am league for the first time since the 2011 lockout.
It’s the nature of things that a player like James – now in his 20th season with four league MVP awards and four Finals MVP awards – can squeeze out a tight game against smaller-name players. But Wright, who finished with 20 points and six rebounds with a few chest-thumping shots against DeRozan, said he’ll live with the results.
The scene at King Drew Magnet High School gym can, even on a typical weekend for the long-running summer league, be a bit rowdy. But Saturday’s event – after James’ appearance was reported the night before by Yahoo Sports – was positively packed.