NBRPA Brings Acclaimed Health Screenings Program to Members Based in Los Angeles
NBRPA’s Health Screening Program To Make Stops in Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, NBA All-Star in Indianapolis, NCAA Women’s Final Four in Cleveland and the NBRPA’s Annual Legends Summer Getaway and Golf Experience in Las Vegas
Previous Activations of the Program This Year Were Also Held in Orlando, Florida
LOS ANGELES, California, (Nov. 20, 2023) - The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), this past weekend brought its acclaimed Health Screening program for former players based in Southern California. NBA/WNBA/ABA and Harlem Globetrotter Legends in the greater Los Angeles area took part in the NBRPA’s Health Screening program at the LA Clippers’ Training Center on Sunday, November 19 and underwent wide-ranging screening procedures, that included blood work, electrocardiograms, echocardiograms and cardiology consultations.
The critically acclaimed program, under the supervision of the NBRPA Chief Medical Director Joe Rogowski, focuses on player health, delivered thorough, cost-effective, healthcare to its membership and address many of the medical issues experienced by the NBRPA population, while also educating them on proactive measures that promote a healthy lifestyle.
“We are proud to showcase our Health Screening Program for our members living in and around Los Angeles and are extremely thankful for the hospitality offered by the LA Clippers in providing space at their training facility for this event” said Scott Rochelle, President & CEO, NBRPA. “This program presents an incredible occasion for us to bring this impactful program to where our members live and we look forward to continuing to bring this invaluable benefit to other markets across the United States, as well as to Indianapolis for the NBA All-Star weekend in February and to our annual Legends Summer Getaway in Las Vegas later this year.”
Launched in conjunction with the NBPA in 2016, to deliver valuable, preventive long-term healthcare check-ups to former professional players across the U.S., the Health Screening Program has impacted hundreds of former players by providing preventative testing, including blood work, electrocardiograms, echocardiograms and cardiology consultations.
The NBRPA announced in 2022 that they would begin overseeing the program and brought along Joe Rogowski to head the operation. Rogowski, who served as the NBPA’s Chief Medical Officer for the past decade, was named the NBRPA’s Chief Medical Director in November 2022.
About the National Basketball Retired Players Association The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is comprised of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA, and WNBA. It is a 501(c) 3 organization with a mission to develop, implement and advocate a wide array of programs to benefit its members, supporters and the community. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. The NBRPA works in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Legends Care is the charitable initiative of the NBRPA that positively impacts youth and communities through basketball. Scott Rochelle is President and CEO, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Chairman of the Board Charles “Choo” Smith, Vice Chairman Shawn Marion, Treasurer Sam Perkins, Secretary Grant Hill, Johnny Davis, Nancy Lieberman, CJ Kupec, Mike Bantom, Caron Butler, Jerome Williams, Clarence “Chucky” Brown and Dave Bing. Learn more at legendsofbasketball.com.
NBRPA’s Health Screening Program To Make Stops in Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, NBA All-Star in Indianapolis, NCAA Women’s Final Four in Cleveland and the NBRPA’s Annual Legends Summer Getaway in Las Vegas
ORLANDO, Florida, (Nov. 13, 2023) - The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), this past weekend brought its acclaimed Health Screening program for former players based in Orlando, Florida. NBA/WNBA/ABA and Harlem Globetrotter Legends in the greater Orlando area took part in the NBRPA’s Health Screening program at the Orlando Magic’s Amway Center on Saturday, November 11 and underwent wide-ranging screening procedures, that included blood work, electrocardiograms, echocardiograms and cardiology consultations. In addition to taking part in the program, Legends were also treated to an evening of basketball entertainment when the Orlando Magic hosted the Milwaukee Bucks.
The critically acclaimed program, under the supervision of the NBRPA Chief Medical Director Joe Rogowski, focuses on player health, delivered thorough, cost-effective, healthcare to its membership and address many of the medical issues experienced by the NBRPA population, while also educating them on proactive measures that promote a healthy lifestyle.
“We are thrilled at the opportunity to showcase our Health Screening Program for our members in the Orlando area.” said Scott Rochelle, President & CEO, NBRPA. “This program presents an incredible occasion for us to bring this impactful program to where our members live and we look forward to continuing to bring this invaluable benefit to other markets across the United States, as well as to Indianapolis for the NBA All-Star weekend in February and to our annual Legends Summer Getaway in Las Vegas later this year.”
Launched in conjunction with the NBPA in 2016, to deliver valuable, preventive long-term healthcare check-ups to former professional players across the U.S., the Health Screening Program has impacted hundreds of former players by providing preventative testing, including blood work, electrocardiograms, echocardiograms and cardiology consultations.
The NBRPA announced in 2022 that they would begin overseeing the program and brought along Joe Rogowski to head the operation. Rogowski, who served as the NBPA’s Chief Medical Officer for the past decade, was named the NBRPA’s Chief Medical Director in November 2022.
About the National Basketball Retired Players Association The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is comprised of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA, and WNBA. It is a 501(c) 3 organization with a mission to develop, implement and advocate a wide array of programs to benefit its members, supporters and the community. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. The NBRPA works in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Legends Care is the charitable initiative of the NBRPA that positively impacts youth and communities through basketball. Scott Rochelle is President and CEO, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Chairman of the Board Charles “Choo” Smith, Vice Chairman Shawn Marion, Treasurer Sam Perkins, Secretary Grant Hill, Johnny Davis, Nancy Lieberman, CJ Kupec, Mike Bantom, Caron Butler, Jerome Williams, Clarence “Chucky” Brown and Dave Bing. Learn more at legendsofbasketball.com.
NBRPA membership is comprised of a diverse group of former professional basketball players of the NBA, ABA, WNBA, and Harlem Globetrotters.
Each month, we'll spotlight one NBRPA member from each league to recognize their career on the court as well as the impact they are now having in their communities.
Jamal Mashburn
NBA
Jamal Mashburn is most notably known for his success on the basketball court. The former college and NBA All Star spent over 20 years with the Kentucky Wildcats, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, and New Orleans Hornets, where he dribbled, dunked, and dazzled fans. Yet, before Mashburn ever set foot on the professional hardwood, he was already preparing for his life after basketball.
With a natural knack for teambuilding, Mashburn took his skills straight to the business world without missing a beat. Mashburn successfully assembled a team of savvy professionals specializing in administration, finance, project management, insurance, and advertising. This rock-star team quickly developed an ownership model that resulted in an impressive business portfolio. To date, Mashburn — the entrepreneur — has ownership interest in numerous restaurant franchises (38 Outback Steakhouse restaurants, 40 Papa John’s pizza restaurants, and three Dunkin Donuts stores), car dealerships (owner of Kentucky’s Toyota on Nicholasville and Lexus Store of Lexington), real estate, and the thoroughbred horse racing industry. In his spare time (and when not laser-focused on new investment opportunities) Mashburn even served as an ESPN on-air NBA analyst (2006-2010). Currently Mr. Mashburn is a Board Member of the ROI Acquisition Corporation and a Board Member of the FairBridge Hotels International.
Extremely civic-minded, Mashburn is committed to helping others and giving back to the community. In 1993, before he ever signed his first professional basketball contract, he donated $500,000 to establish and endow the Mashburn Scholarship Fund at the University of Kentucky. The scholarship identifies ninth grade students in the Lexington, Kentucky, area, tracks them through high school, and then awards them a full scholarship to attend the University of Kentucky or Bluegrass Community and Technical College in the event they achieve their academic and personal goals. He is also a founding member, officer, and director of The MAP Foundation (focused on youth mentoring) and Mashburn Family Foundation (offering programs and support for latch-key children and children of alcoholics and single mothers), both of which are non-profit 501(c)(3) corporations. In 20011 Mashburn held a seat on the Board of Directors for the National Forest Foundation and has served on the Advisory Board for Central Bank & Trust Company in Lexington, KY from 2005-2008. Mr. Mashburn also ensures that each of his businesses actively participate in their local communities by way of donations to various charitable organizations.
Mashburn has taken full advantage of the opportunities afforded to him and now encourages and inspires others to embrace his team-first attitude, helping them achieve success in business — and in life.
Mack Calvin
ABA
Mack Calvin is a Former ABA-NBA Five Time All-Star Player and Coach, and Future Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame. Mack Calvin is the living embodiment of making it against all odds!
His passion and commitment is to inspire young people and others how to remove the “Mental Handcuffs” from their lives to achieve greatness and dream big!!
Mack, was born in Fort Worth, Texas and raised on a small farm by his grandparents. His mother and three other siblings moved to Los Angeles, California (Watts) at the age of nine years old to join their father.
During Mack early years, while living in the projects of Watts, he developed his basketball skills playing for the Parks And Recreation Of Los Angeles. At the tender age of fifteen years old, his parents moved to Long Beach, California and Mack attended Long Beach Poly where his basketball skills really developed.
His varsity basketball team winning record was sixty seven wins and one loss. During his two years of competition in the State of California High School competition. During his Senior year, he was the team captain and led the team to a undefeated season with a record of 34-0.
For his efforts, he was voted to the all CIF team and named one of the top ten players in the State of California.
Mack Calvin received over one hundred scholarship offers and letters. Unfortunately, Mack was only reading at the seventh grade level and had a 1.7 GPA. In order to graduate, Ms. Johnson changed his grade in Arts and Crafts to a “C” in order for him to graduate along with his classmates.
Because, of his lack of commitment to studying and negative environment at home, Mack was forced to attend Long Beach City College.
It was at LBCC where Mack met his basketball coaches, Bill Barnes and Chuck Kane, who took an interest in him as a person and were concerned about him as a Student Athlete and made him focus in the classroom.
Mack Calvin graduated from LBCC with academic honors and chose the University of Southern California (USC) over fifty other colleges, including UCLA. Mack Graduated from USC majoring in Sociology.
Mack Calvin believes that all teens are troubled! It is part of the territory! Drugs, alcohol, violence, stress, depression, bullying, peer pressure and self doubt. This is the real world of drama of our young people today!
For over 40 years Mack Calvin has hosted his Free Mack Calvin Youth Educational Fundamental Summer Basketball Camp. His camp is for boys and girls 8 to 17 years old. His camp offers free Lunch (Served Daily), Fundamental Instruction, Life Skills, Free Throw Shooting Contests, and Scrimmages.
Today Mack Calvin is a motivational speaker and youth mentor. Mack Calvin shares with our youth and others that real motivation comes from within one’s self and self esteem! Believing that their is greatness inside us!
Mack Calvin leads students through the most powerful life principles they need to pursue their dreams and goals, and more to achieve greatness!
Mack shares his own unique story, no holds barred. He connects with their souls and shows the students how his own personal struggles can positively change their world and change their lives!
Nakia Sanford-Lawson
WNBA
Nakia Sanford-Lawson was born in Lithonia, Georgia, where she became well known in her area as an exceptional overall athlete. She was a double State champion in Georgia, winning state championships in track and field (high jump) and the AAAA championship in basketball.
Nakia's accomplishments caught the eye of many Division 1 college coaches, but she chose to attend the University of Kansas under Hall of Fame coach Marianne Washington. While at Kansas, Nakia developed into a nationally known athlete steadily guided under the mentorship of another great legend, Ms. Lynette Woodard.
Nakia would play professionally in 8 different countries and learn how to proficiently speak Italian and French along her journey.
Sanford would get her big break to play in the WNBA in 2003 for the Washington Mystics. Nakia would steadily progress in the League, becoming a fixture to the face of the Mystics where she played there from 2003-2010 before getting picked up by the Phoenix Mercury 2011-2012, and again for the Seattle Storm in 2013.
After Nakia finished playing sports, entrepreneurship called, and Sanford answered. For the past decade, Nakia Sanford-Lawson built an extremely successful financial services career. She became the Regional Vice-President with Prinerica Advisors. She's both a licensed financial advisor and a fiduciary.
Nakia holds a series 6, 63, 26, and 65. She's built her business and her legacy, helping athletes and executives design post career lifestyles that they deserve. Within corporate America, she's been branded as "The tall money lady" for all of her outstanding and impressive work.
Nakia Sanford-Lawson is a proud member of the NBRPA, regularly attending and supporting our Associations conferences and events.
Reggie Dixon
Harlem Globetrotters
Reggie “Air Man” Dixon, a former member of the world-renowned Harlem Globetrotters dreamed of one day becoming a professional basketball player. After graduating from Jack Yates High School (Houston, Texas) in 1983 Reggie began a wonderful educational adventure at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, New York. Reggie fulfilled his dream of playing professional basketball for 11 years with The Harlem Globetrotters. He was the Head Coach for his remaining two years and he was honored to make a little history as the youngest head coach in Globetrotter History. Mr. Dixon has traveled extensively around the globe. With more than 75 countries under his belt, he has sipped tea with Mother Teresa and the late Princess Diana. He has spoken on the same program with Colin Powell, shook Pope John Paul’s hand and celebrated Nelson Mandela’s 78th and 79th birthday’s respectively in Cape Town South Africa.
Mr. Dixon has received a numerous number of awards including the NAACP/Urban Scholarship Program Award, Centuries of Triumph Award and Jack Yates 2021 Hall of Fame Inductee just to name a few. He is a member of the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBA, WNBA, ABA & Harlem Globetrotters), he composed the team that purchased the Houston Comets and he has been recognized at the Texas State Capital by State Representative Garnet Coleman. He is a regular participant for Congress woman Shelia Jackson-Lee’s Christmas for Youth, Former Mayor Lee Brown’s Help Keep Houston Clean and Former Councilman Gordan Quan’s Christmas Celebration for the Senior Citizens. As a result of Reggie’s tireless efforts and excellent work in the community, in October 2003, The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) honored Reggie with the Prestigious Directors Community Leadership Award. Reggie was the very first Harlem Globetrotter to receive the Legacy Loyalty and Pride Award and he was a participant of the Harlem Globetrotters induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Reggie founded the Reggie “Air Man” Foundation for youth, established in 2013. His Foundation focuses on the social changes of the under privileged children and how to work and live to reduce any child’s behavior problem and improve on their social skills as an individual and/or with their families. As part of his Foundation outreach he has visited more than 1000 schools, spoke to more than one million students and participated in more than 1000 interviews.
Exclusive Multi-Year Partnership Names NorthShore – Edward-Elmhurst Healththe Preferred Healthcare Provider for NBRPA Members
CHICAGO, Illinois, (October 19, 2023) - The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) and NorthShore – Edward-Elmhurst Health (NS-EEH) today announced a multi-year agreement making NS-EEH the exclusive healthcare partner of the NBRPA.
Under the newly announced agreement, NS-EEH will serve as the preferred hospitals and healthcare provider and offer their nationally recognized levels of healthcare to the NBRPA’s more than 1,800 members and their families. NS-EEH will also co-sponsor health events and health fairs, and will provide support to NBRPA members seeking physical, mental, and emotional healthcare services. Additionally, NS-EEH will partner with the NBRPA on Diversity, Equality, and Inclusive (DEI) initiatives and provide services to bolster the NBRPA’s DEI projects, with a focus on underserved communities within the local Chicago area.
“To be able to partner with a renowned medical establishment as NorthShore—Edward-Elmhurst Health thrills us and helps us in continuing to provide our members with access to top-of-the-line medical services and care,” said Scott Rochelle, President & CEO, NBRPA. “This exclusive partnership continues our aim of fostering a culture of positive physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing for members during and after their transition from professional basketball and in our efforts to give back to our community.”
“An exclusive medical partnership of this magnitude is unprecedented in our space. NorthShore – Edward-Elmhurst Health, in their commitment to our former players, has demonstrated a strong belief in making our players’ health and wellness a priority,” said Joe Rogowski, Chief Medical Director, NBRPA. “This partnership, that provides access to NorthShore—Edward-Elmhurst Health’s robust medical services is a great first step in the NBRPA’s continued efforts to build an unparalleled sports medicine network.”
“Our goal is to act as a medical care advisor to help NBRPA members gain access to the experts they need for their health issues in a wide variety of specialties -- very similar to how they received access to experts when they were on a pro team,” said Ravi Bashyal, M.D., Vice-Chairman of Patient and Provider Experience & Director of Outpatient Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery at NorthShore University HealthSystem, and Co-Medical Director and Head NBRPA Hip & Knee Replacement Consultant.
“Our entire team of NorthShore – Edward-Elmhurst physicians looks forward to helping NBRPA members achieve their best health with expert, advanced, personalized care, no matter where they are in their life journey,” said Dr. Asheesh Bedi, MD. Director of Comprehensive Sports Medicine and Joint Preservation at NorthShore Orthopaedic & Spine Institute and Co-Medical Director and Head NBRPA Sports Medicine Surgery Consultant.
# # #
About the National Basketball Retired Players Association The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is comprised of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA, and WNBA. It is a 501(c) 3 organization with a mission to develop, implement and advocate a wide array of programs to benefit its members, supporters and the community. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. The NBRPA works in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Legends Care is the charitable initiative of the NBRPA that positively impacts youth and communities through basketball. Scott Rochelle is President and CEO, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Chairman of the Board Charles “Choo” Smith, Vice Chairman Shawn Marion, Treasurer Sam Perkins, Secretary Grant Hill, Johnny Davis, Nancy Lieberman, CJ Kupec, Mike Bantom, Caron Butler, Jerome Williams, Clarence “Chucky” Brown and Dave Bing. Learn more at legendsofbasketball.com.
About NorthShore – Edward-Elmhurst Health NorthShore – Edward-Elmhurst Health is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system committed to providing access to quality, vibrant, community-connected care, serving an area of more than 4.2 million residents across six northeast Illinois counties. Our more than 27,000 team members and more than 7,000 physicians aim to deliver transformative patient experiences and expert care close to home across more than 300 ambulatory locations and eight acute care hospitals – Edward (Naperville), Elmhurst, Evanston, Glenbrook (Glenview), Highland Park, Northwest Community (Arlington Heights), Skokie and Swedish (Chicago) – all recognized as Magnet hospitals for nursing excellence. Located in Naperville, Linden Oaks Behavioral Health, provides for the mental health needs of area residents. For more information, visit NorthShore.org, SwedishCovenant.org, NCH.org and EEHealth.org.
NorthShore Orthopaedic and Spine Institute is the only dedicated hospital of its kind in Illinois and ranks among the top 50 orthopaedic programs in the country (US News & World Report, 2023-2024). NorthShore also ranks No. 1 in Illinois for joint replacement surgeries and overall orthopedic care (IHA Compdata, 2022). For more information about the NorthShore Orthopaedic & Spine Institute, visit NorthShore.org/orthopaedics or call 847.866-7846.
For Third Consecutive Year, Five Undergraduates Attending HBCUs Will Receive $10,000 Scholarships
Chicago, ILL. October 4, 2023 - The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) today announced the 2023-2024 recipients of the Legends HBCU Scholarship, making them the third class of Legends Scholars.
The five Legends Scholars are:
Mimi Harris | Albany State University, Class of 2026
Vanessa Johnson | Edward Waters College, Class of 2024
Maya Brunt | University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, Class of 2024
Michael Clark | Howard University, Class of 2024
Azaria Howard | Tennessee State University, Class of 2025
“These five exceptional students were selected from hundreds of HBCU student applicants due to their commitment to academic excellence and their positive impact in the world,” said Scott Rochelle, NBRPA President & CEO. “We are excited to introduce the 2023-24 Legends Scholars – our third class overall - and welcome them into our Legends family, where we will support them during their collegiate career and beyond.”
The five Legends Scholars will receive a $10,000 academic scholarship from the NBRPA for the 2023-2024 school year. In addition to addressing the financial needs of Legends Scholars, a comprehensive scholars program will assist Legends Scholars in the areas of career preparation and development, job placement and mentoring both during and after their undergraduate years.
The Legends HBCU Scholarship and Legends Scholars program were created in 2020 under the NBRPA’s Legends Care initiative as a way to honor the rich history of HBCUs and their alums while moving the legacy forward by supporting current HBCU undergraduates.
To learn more about the Legends HBCU Scholarship and Legends Scholars program, visit legendsofbasketball.com/HBCU.
About the National Basketball Retired Players Association The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is comprised of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA, and WNBA. It is a 501(c) 3 organization with a mission to develop, implement and advocate a wide array of programs to benefit its members, supporters and the community. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. The NBRPA works in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Legends Care is the charitable initiative of the NBRPA that positively impacts youth and communities through basketball. Scott Rochelle is President and CEO, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Chairman of the Board Charles “Choo” Smith, Vice Chairman Shawn Marion, Treasurer Sam Perkins, Secretary Grant Hill, Johnny Davis, Nancy Lieberman, CJ Kupec, Mike Bantom, Caron Butler, Jerome Williams, Clarence “Chucky” Brown and Dave Bing. Learn more at legendsofbasketball.com.
Event to feature a trio of Ohio programs – Ohio State, Akron and Ohio – facing West Virginia, St. Bonaventure and Davidson, respectively
CLEVELAND, Ohio (September 28, 2023) – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland will serve as the host venue for the Dec. 30 Legends of Basketball Showcase, a college basketball tripleheader headlined by the previously announced contest between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Two more games will make up the Dec. 30 schedule, leading off with the Ohio Bobcats facing the Davidson Wildcats, followed by the Akron Zips taking on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. The Buckeyes and Mountaineers will tip off in primetime. Game times will be announced in the coming days.
The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is the title sponsor of the event. Founded in 1992, The NBRPA serves former professional basketball players in their transition into life after basketball and is the only alumni association of its kind supported directly by the NBA and National Basketball Players Association. Intersport, a Chicago-based sports marketing and events agency, is the operator of the Legends of Basketball Showcase.
Tickets for the event will go on sale on Oct. 12 at www.rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com, but fans interested in attending the tripleheader can register to receive event information and gain access to early tickets through a one-day presale on Oct. 11 by signing up at www.LegendsofBasketball.com/Showcase. Through the link, fans can also purchase VIP hospitality tickets through the NBRPA for the opportunity to meet former NBA and WNBA stars.
“Following the tremendous success of our inaugural Legends of Basketball Showcase last year in Chicago, we are proud to once again be a huge part of the college basketball calendar and bring the event to Cleveland,” said Scott Rochelle, President & CEO of the NBRPA. “With six elite basketball programs being featured and the games being staged at a top-of-the-line venue in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, we are sure this will be a can’t miss event for every basketball fan. We look forward to what promises to be an incredible afternoon and evening of hoops action.”
“We’re excited to work together once again with the NBRPA to stage the second edition of the Legends of Basketball Showcase, especially with the lineup of programs that will be participating this year,” said Mark Starsiak, vice president of basketball at Intersport. “This year’s tripleheader features very competitive regional programs with passionate fan followings, which will create an entertaining atmosphere at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.”
Ohio State and West Virginia have faced each other 17 times previously, with the Buckeyes holding a 9-8 edge in the series. The Mountaineers, however, have dominated recent history, winning eight of the last nine meetings, including each of the last three. The teams last met in 2019, with West Virginia earning a 67-59 victory at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in 2019.
This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Akron and St. Bonaventure, with the Zips carrying a 2-1 edge in the series. The teams have split the last two meetings, with Akron winning a 2018 tilt and St. Bonaventure claiming a 2020 victory. The first meeting between the teams was back in 1942.
Ohio and Davidson have met three times previously, with the Wildcats having won each matchup. Davidson has won a pair of home games as well as a neutral site contest in 2006 in Tempe, Ariz.
The Legends of Basketball Showcase is one of many events that is part of Intersport’s early season college basketball calendar, which has seen considerable growth in the last five years. After initially launching a four-team event in Fort Myers in 2018, the Chicago-based agency has announced plans to host at least eight different events during the first eight weeks of the 2023-24 season, with an additional announcement to come in the ensuing days. The current Intersport early season calendar includes:
Nov. 10: Radford vs Marshall (The Greenbrier Resort, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.)
Nov. 20-22: Fort Myers Tip-Off (Suncoast Credit Union Arena, Fort Myers, Fla.)
Nov. 23-25: Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off (Suncoast Credit Union Arena, Fort Myers, Fla.)
Dec. 2: Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational; Gonzaga vs. USC, Washington vs. Colorado State (MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.)
Dec. 14: Florida Tip-Off; Florida vs. East Carolina (RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Fla.)
Dec. 16: CBS Sports Classic; Ohio State vs. UCLA, North Carolina vs. Kentucky (State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Ga.)
Dec. 30: Legends of Basketball Showcase: Ohio State vs. West Virginia; Ohio vs. Davidson; Akron vs. St. Bonaventure (Cleveland, Ohio)
Team Quick Facts
Ohio State Buckeyes
Conference: Big Ten
Head Coach: Chris Holtmann
2022-23 record (conference): 16-19 (5-15)
2023 Conference Tournament: Semifinals
All-Time NCAA Tournament Appearances: 35
Top Returning Scorer: Zed Key (10.8 ppg)
West Virginia Mountaineers
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Josh Eilert
2022-23 record (conference): 19-15 (7-11)
2023 Conference Tournament: Quarterfinals
All-Time NCAA Tournament Appearances: 31
Top Returning Scorer: Seth Wilson (4.2 ppg)
Akron Zips
Conference: MAC
Head Coach: John Groce
2022-23 record (conference): 22-11 (13-5)
2023 Conference Tournament: Quarterfinals
All-Time NCAA Tournament Appearances: 5
Top Returning Scorer: Seth Wilson (4.2 ppg)
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
Conference: A-10
Head Coach: Mark Schmidt
2022-23 record (conference): 14-18 (8-10)
2023 Conference Tournament: Second Round
All-Time NCAA Tournament Appearances: 8
Top Returning Scorer: Daryl Banks III (15.4 ppg)
Ohio Bobcats
Conference: MAC
Head Coach: Jeff Boals
2022-23 record (conference): 19-14 (10-8)
2023 Conference Tournament: Semifinals
All-Time NCAA Tournament Appearances: 14
Top Returning Scorer: Jaylin Hunter (13.2 ppg)
Davidson Wildcats
Conference: A-10
Head Coach: Matt McKillop
2022-23 record (conference): 16-16 (8-10)
2023 Conference Tournament: Quarterfinals
All-Time NCAA Tournament Appearances: 15
Top Returning Scorer: Grant Huffman (9.4 ppg)
About Intersport
Since 1985, Intersport has been an award-winning innovator and leader in the creation of sports, lifestyle, culinary and entertainment-based marketing platforms. With expertise in Sponsorship Consulting, Experiential Marketing, Hospitality, Customer Engagement, Content Marketing, Productions and Sports Properties, this Chicago-based Marketing & Media Solutions Company helps their clients to create ideas, content and experiences that attract and engage passionate audiences. To learn more about Intersport, visit www.intersport.global, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
About the National Basketball Retired Players Association The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is comprised of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA, and WNBA. It is a 501(c) 3 organization with a mission to develop, implement and advocate a wide array of programs to benefit its members, supporters and the community. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. The NBRPA works in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Legends Care is the charitable initiative of the NBRPA that positively impacts youth and communities through basketball. Scott Rochelle is President and CEO, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Chairman of the Board Charles “Choo” Smith, Vice Chairman Shawn Marion, Treasurer Sam Perkins, Secretary Grant Hill, Nancy Lieberman, CJ Kupec, Mike Bantom, Caron Butler, Jerome Williams, Clarence “Chucky” Brown and Dave Bing. Learn more at legendsofbasketball.com.
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is Northeast Ohio’s premier sports and entertainment facility. Home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Monsters and the annual Mid-American Conference (MAC) Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament, the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse also hosts major attractions, top-tier concert tours, family shows and signature events to the greater Cleveland area. Each year, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse hosts more than 200 diverse ticketed events and 1,400 private events that draw more than 2 million patrons to downtown Cleveland.
Preseason No. 7 Gonzaga will face No. 21 USC as part of Dec. 2 doubleheader that also features Washington-Colorado State in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (September 26, 2023) – A west coast showdown between preseason top-25 programs Gonzaga and USC headlines the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational, a college basketball doubleheader set for Dec. 2 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Washington and Colorado State will open the Saturday night doubleheader at 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and will be followed by the Bulldogs and Trojans at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is the title sponsor of the event. Founded in 1992, The NBRPA serves former professional basketball players in their transition into life after basketball and is the only alumni association of its kind supported directly by the NBA and National Basketball Players Association. Intersport, a Chicago-based sports marketing and events agency, is the operator of the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational.
Tickets for the event will go on sale on October 13 at www.axs.com, but fans interested in attending the doubleheader can register to receive event information and gain access to early tickets through a one-day presale on October 12 by signing up at www.legendsofbasketball.com/vegas. Through the link, fans can also purchase VIP hospitality tickets to pregame and postgame events through the NBRPA for the opportunity to meet former NBA and WNBA stars.
“The NBRPA is thrilled to build on and expand our partnership with Intersport to present the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational,” said Scott Rochelle, President & CEO NBRPA. “The combination of deep NBRPA ties to the participating college basketball programs, a tremendous location in Las Vegas and a world-class venue in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, promises to make this event a must-watch for all college hoops fans. We look forward to showcasing the action and fanfare that these four renowned basketball programs are sure to bring.”
“Las Vegas is known for major, must-see events and this doubleheader fits that bill,” said Mark Starsiak, vice president of basketball at Intersport. “With four dynamic programs on the court and an engaged partner in the NBRPA, the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational will offer an incredible experience for fans. Both Gonzaga and USC are among the favorites to win their respective leagues and have extremely talented rosters that position them for dangerous runs through the NCAA Tournament, while Colorado State and Washington each have the ingredients to push for postseason berths as well.”
This will be the fourth all-time meeting between USC and Gonzaga with the Trojans owning a 2-1 mark in the series. The Bulldogs won the most recent meeting, an Elite Eight showdown in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Washington and Colorado State have also played three times previously with the Rams having won twice, including the most recent meeting between the programs in 2012.
Both Gonzaga and USC are consensus preseason top-25 programs and should once again contend for not only their respective conference championships, but deep NCAA Tournament runs this coming season. For the preseason No. 7 Bulldogs, three impact transfers – Ryan Nembhard (Creighton), Steele Venters (Eastern Washington) and Graham Ike (Wyoming) – step in the fill the void left by departing starters Drew Timme, Julian Strawther and Rasir Bolton. Anton Watson and Nolan Hickman return as likely starters for head coach Mark Few, who is set to begin his 25th season as the Bulldogs head coach. In the last 24 years, Gonzaga has made the NCAA Tournament every season, advanced to two national championship games and made 10 Sweet 16 appearances, winning more than 83 percent (689-135) of its games since Few took over.
Preseason No. 21 USC may boast the most dynamic backcourt in the country next season as the Trojans return all-conference guard Boogie Ellis and welcome the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2023, Isaiah Collier. Returning starters Kobe Johnson and Joshua Morgan, along with graduate transfer DJ Rodman, will give the Trojans a deep, experienced core. Andy Enfield is entering his 11th season with the program and looks to guide the Trojans to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season, which would mark the longest streak in program history. Enfield’s USC teams have won 20 or more games in seven of the last eight seasons.
Sixth-year Colorado State head coach Niko Medved has established the Rams as a consistent presence in the Mountain West Conference. CSU has won double-digit conference games in three of the past four seasons. The Rams return three starters from last season’s team including four-time All-Mountain West guard and 2022 Bob Cousy Award Finalist Isaiah Stevens. Stevens led the team in scoring (17.9 ppg) and assists (6.7 apg) in 2022-23. Patrick Cartier and Jalen Lake also return from starting for CSU last year, while they add a trio of Centennial State transfers in Nique Clifford, Javonte Johnson and Joel Scott.
Washington, under seventh-year coach Mike Hopkins, returns two All-Pac-12 starters from last season – Keion Brooks Jr. and Braxton Meah – and welcomes a bevy of high caliber transfers led by Kentucky transfer Sahvir Wheeler and Rutgers transfer Paul Mulcahy. Brooks is the Pac-12's leading returning scorer after averaging 17.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and reunites with his former Kentucky teammate Wheeler. Wheeler was a Bob Cousy award finalist as a junior in 2022 before enduring an injury plagued season last year. Mulcahy finished his Rutgers career fourth on the program’s all-time assists list. Meah started 31 games last year, averaging 8.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
The Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational is one of many events that is part of Intersport’s early season college basketball calendar, which has seen considerable growth in the last five years. After initially launching a four-team event in Fort Myers in 2018, the Chicago-based agency has announced plans to host at least seven different events throughout the course of the 2023-24 season, beginning with the Radford-Marshall neutral site game at The Greenbrier in West Virginia (Nov. 10) before hosting 25 games during a nine-day stretch from Nov. 17-25. First, the inaugural Arizona Tip-Off will be held Nov. 17-19, followed by the Fort Myers Tip-Off from Nov. 20-22 and the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off from Nov. 23-25. In December, Intersport will manage the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 2 and the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta on Dec. 16 before finally hosting the Ohio State-West Virginia neutral site contest in Cleveland on Dec. 30. Additional event announcements will be forthcoming in the coming weeks.
About Intersport
Since 1985, Intersport has been an award-winning innovator and leader in the creation of sports, lifestyle, culinary and entertainment-based marketing platforms. With expertise in Sponsorship Consulting, Experiential Marketing, Hospitality, Customer Engagement, Content Marketing, Productions and Sports Properties, this Chicago-based Marketing & Media Solutions Company helps their clients to create ideas, content and experiences that attract and engage passionate audiences. To learn more about Intersport, visit www.intersport.global, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
About the National Basketball Retired Players Association
The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is comprised of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA, and WNBA. It is a 501(c) 3 organization with a mission to develop, implement and advocate a wide array of programs to benefit its members, supporters and the community. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. The NBRPA works in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Legends Care is the charitable initiative of the NBRPA that positively impacts youth and communities through basketball. Scott Rochelle is President and CEO, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Chairman of the Board Charles “Choo” Smith, Vice Chairman Shawn Marion, Treasurer Sam Perkins, Secretary Grant Hill, Nancy Lieberman, CJ Kupec, Mike Bantom, Caron Butler, Jerome Williams, Clarence “Chucky” Brown and Dave Bing. Learn more at legendsofbasketball.com.
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, U2, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also has been home to annual events including the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the Latin GRAMMY Awards, iHeartRadio Music Festival, Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Championship and Frozen Fury NHL pre-season games hosted by the Los Angeles Kings.
NBRPA membership is comprised of a diverse group of former professional basketball players of the NBA, ABA, WNBA, and Harlem Globetrotters.
Each month, we'll spotlight one NBRPA member from each league to recognize their career on the court as well as the impact they are now having in their communities.
Lafayette “Fat” Lever
NBA
Lafayette "Fat" Lever is the founder and current president of the Legends of Basketball Phoenix Chapter (legendsofbasketballphx.com). As a business owner, entrepreneur, and community advocate, Fat is dedicated to working towards building strong kids and communities. The Legends of Basketball Phoenix Chapter offers youth sports and education programs and volunteers to work with community projects and non-profits. Including Feed My Starving Children, Luis Zendajas Foundation, Community Toy Drives, and special events benefiting children, education, and communities. You can also find our Legends hosting Full Court Press events and supporting local Basketball Clubs (Club Teams, Skills Camps, and Clinics). They also lend their support to Technology for Education Projects, STEM Education Programs, and Youth Entrepreneurship Programs. You can find more details here. https://legendsofbasketballphx.com/chapter-programs/
Our Legends lend their celebrity status as motivational speakers, presenters, judges, mentors, and through monetary donations. The Legends of Basketball Phoenix Chapter has sponsored everything from local club teams, to buying computers for schools, large toy drives, and even donating to our local make-a-wish foundation. They have supported events for Kids, Cancer Survivors, and Women Owned Businesses. The Chapter has a community presence everywhere that has a need. Fat Lever supports all the good in our communities, anywhere that needs support and dedicated attention. Playing and interacting with kids, talking to parents and teachers. As club president, he sets an amazing example for what caring for our communities should look like.
Throughout his career, Fat was considered one of the NBA's best point guards. Arizona State University honored him with an induction into the University's Hall of Fame in 1988, in 2004 he became a Pac-10 Hall of Honor inductee, and in 2012 his jersey hung in the rafters at, what was then known as, the Wells Fargo Arena at Arizona State. On December 2, 2017, the NBA's Denver Nuggets retired Fat's number 12 jersey during a winning home game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Fat's NBA Career didn't end with this retirement from playing ball. He also served as the director of player development for the Sacramento Kings, as well as a color analyst. You can currently hear Fat broadcasting with Altitude Sports
Oliver Darden
ABA
Oliver Darden is a former professional basketball player who played three seasons in the ABA. Darden attended Western High School in Detroit, Michigan, where he was Mr. Basketball for Detroit public schools in 1962. Darden played basketball for the University of Michigan and was a three year starter as part of the team that won three Big Ten championships in 1964, 1965, and 1966, a feat that has not been accomplished since then. He was chosen by his teammates to become the first African American in the history of the University of Michigan basketball to be elected as captain of the team. Darden was also chosen as one of the University of Michigan's top 25 Senior students by the Prestigious Michigamau Honorary fraternity in 1966.
Following his graduation from the University of Michigan, Darden was selected in the 3rd round as the 22nd overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, then going on to play in the ABA from 1967 to 1970 as a member of the Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, and Kentucky Colonels. He won ABA championship in 1970 with the Pacers.
His past Board of Directors involvements includes: Chairman of the Board of the Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce, WSRE television Board of Directors, Baptist Hospital Board of Directors, Vice Chairman of the Andrews Institute, The Pensacola Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, YMCA Board of Directors, University of West Florida Business Advisory Board, 100 Hundred Black Men Organization, and numerous involvements with youth organizations, speeches, coaching and motivational speeches.
Today, Darden is a community volunteer and substitute teacher, as well as the owner & operator of The Coffee Cup in Pensacola, Florida.
Janice Braxton
WNBA
Janice Lawrence Braxton is one of the greatest legends to ever play in women's basketball. She was born on June 7th in 1962, during the peak of racial disparities and discrimination of the South in Lucedale, Mississippi.
She would later find an outlet, away from all of the stress of mistreatment that was going on during the civil rights movement, picking up a love for women's basketball. Janice would work so hard in the sport, that she would later become the nations most sought after recruit, dominating the game at George County High School. Recruited by nearly every top tier team in college women's basketball, Janice would choose to play for Louisiana Tech, under the leadership of legendary Hall Of Fame coach, Leon Barmore. While at Louisiana Tech, Janice Lawrence would lead the Techsters to the Nation’s 1st ever National Championship in 1981, and then again in 1982.
After her historic college career, Janice would play in total, 15 straight years of professional women's basketball in Italy; because there were no WNBA professional opportunities yet in the U.S. at that time. She would dominate in Italy and become a super star all over the world before finally getting to showcase her talent professionally in her own country when the WNBA inaugurated in 1997.
Janice, one of the original pioneers of women's basketball, would finally get to come home and play for her home country in the opening season of the WNBA in 1997, playing for the Cleveland Rockers for 3 seasons until 1999. In 2003 she became an assistant coach for the WNBA Rockers all the way until the team disbanded in 2005.
Before retiring from the sport, Janice Lawrence Braxton would accumulate one of the greatest treasure troves of honors, awards, and accomplishments ever tallied in the game. She was the 1982 NCAA Tournaments leading scorer and National Championship MVP, a 3 time College All-American, 2 time Kodak All-American, WBCA player of the year, 1984 Wade Trophy recipient, 1983 gold medalist on the Pan Am team, Olympic gold medalist in 1984, won 6 European Cup Championships, 6 Italian Championships, was inducted into Louisiana Tech's Hall Of Fame in 1987, and into the Nation’s Women's Basketball Hall Of Fame of Knoxville, Tennessee in 1996.
Janice now proudly serves as a member of the NBRPA in the capacity as treasurer to the Cleveland, Ohio chapter, where she also helps to plan and organize events in her community.
Harold “Lefty” Williams
Harlem Globetrotters
Harold Williams, a native of Jersey City, NJ has become affectionately known around the world as Lefty after making history as the first ever left-handed Showman in Harlem Globetrotter history. Leading up to this astounding accomplishment and before the world got to know Lefty, Harold began making a name for himself as a high school basketball player. He scored 1000 points and 985 rebounds in only three years on his high school varsity team. In college, he earned defensive player of the year twice. One at Montclair State University as a freshman and again as a junior at New Jersey City University. More impressively, he signed a professional contract after attending a Division 3 school. While many deemed this as impossible, this accomplishment launched what would be a 15-year professional career playing in England, Germany, Japan, with the Harlem Ambassadors.
While he has accomplished many things within the world of basketball, Lefty proclaims that this distinction has been one of the most defining moments in his career. Another defining moment in his career has been in his role as the owner of his show entertainment basketball career, The Harlem Dreams. In this role, one Lefty takes great joy in providing audiences with a source of community pride while remaining firm on the company’s beliefs in unquestionable integrity, being service minded, exhibiting community involvement while continuing to focus on dreaming. All of which are a direct reflection of one of Lefty’s defining achievements off the basketball court – The Harold Lefty Williams Dare2Dream Foundation.
The Harold Lefty Williams Dare2Dream Foundation was launched in 2008, alongside his wife Shyneefa, as the Dare2Dream Campaign in an effort to provide local youth with life changing experiences that would help to broaden their perspectives of all that the world had to offer them. Since then, the campaign has grown into a non-profit organization which strives to do even more! Now, Lefty seeks to not only expose youth to what the world has to offer them, but also to reveal to them what they have to offer the world. His mission is to help young people unwrap the treasures that they have inside. His foundation was recognized by the National Basketball Association (NBA) G-League team the Wisconsin Herd during a Black History Month Celebration. During this celebration, his foundation’s logo was featured on the jerseys of the team’s players. Through events like these, his foundation continues to strive towards a mission of embracing children and inspiring lives.
As Lefty seeks to continue to enrich the lives of youth globally, he has transcended this desire in his role as both a husband and father. Often speaking of his wife and childhood friend, Shyneefa, as one of the reasons that he is who he is today, Lefty also attributes much of this to being a father of three beautiful children- Kiara, EJ & CJ. Naturally, Lefty views the role of dad as one of the most important titles he’ll ever hold. Along with the privilege of raising his children, he also manages their careers in Hollywood, which includes credits on multiple Disney and Nickelodeon projects as well as the ABC Network. With this comes the honor of developing his family into a “multigenerational family of talent which bridges the gap between professional sports and entertainment”, as noted in a Bloomberg article on his family’s multi-year partnership with Canadian based lifestyle brand – RYU (Respect Your Universe).
Currently, Lefty remains determined to build a legacy that positively impacts generations to come. As he works on the release of his first book, the work of his Dare2Dream Foundation, being an active member of the National Basketball Retired Players Association as well as through partnerships with other organizations helping to shape the lives of people in their own communities, Lefty continues to make marks on this world.
Legends Led Sherman Indian High School Youth in Basketball Activities and Life Skills Curriculum
CHICAGO, ILL. September 21, 2023 – The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) and its Los Angeles Chapter teamed up to bring basketball, fun and life skills lessons to youth at Sherman Indian High School, a boarding school for Native Americans, on Saturday, September 9th (9010 Magnolia Ave. Riverside, CA 95203) for the 3rd consecutive year. Led by Los Angeles Chapter President & ABA Legend Rick Darnell, NBA & Lakers Legend AC Green, NBA Legends Duane Cooper, Darwin Cook, Louis Nelson, and Juaquin Hawkins, WNBA Legend Linda Fröhlich, local youth participated in a wide array of basketball instruction including proper passing and shooting techniques, defensive drills and the value of effort.
Additionally, the students were treated to donated school/dorm supplies and apparel, as well as free lunch from local food trucks, onsite for the event, donated by the LA Chapter Members. NBA All-Star AC Green, proud to represent both Choctaw and Cherokee heritage, emphasized the value of the opportunity that Sherman Indian High School provides. The All-Native high school serves more than 200 students from 76 Native American tribes who apply to attend from across the country.
Full Court Press is designed to support the development of participating youth both on and off the court through basketball instruction, mentorship and an innovative life skills curriculum. Several Legends of Basketball, both men and women with NBA, WNBA, ABA and/or Harlem Globetrotters backgrounds, serve as basketball coaches and mentors for the 150-200 youth at each clinic while NBRPA community partners offer additional life skills programming.
Since 2013, the NBRPA has held over 100 Full Court Press: Prep for Success clinics impacting more than 7,500 underserved youth both locally and globally. With your support, Full Court Press and the NBRPA can increase their impact by donating here.
View images of the Full Court Press Program in Los Angeles:
(PHOTO CREDIT – NBRPA)
About the National Basketball Retired Players Association The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is comprised of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA, and WNBA. It is a 501(c) 3 organization with a mission to develop, implement and advocate a wide array of programs to benefit its members, supporters and the community. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. The NBRPA works in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Legends Care is the charitable initiative of the NBRPA that positively impacts youth and communities through basketball. Scott Rochelle is President and CEO, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Chairman of the Board Charles “Choo” Smith, Treasurer Sam Perkins, Secretary Grant Hill, Nancy Lieberman, CJ Kupec, Mike Bantom, Caron Butler, Jerome Williams, Shawn Marion, and Clarence “Chucky” Brown. Learn more at legendsofbasketball.com.
About Sherman Indian High School Sherman Indian High School (SIHS) is an off-reservation boarding high school for Native Americans. Originally opened in 1892 and operated by the Bureau of Indian Education/Bureau of Indian Affairs and the U.S. Government Department of the Interior, the school serves grades 9 through 12. SIHS students represent over 76 federally recognized tribes from across the U.S. About 68% of students come from reservations throughout the U.S. (the remaining students come from urban or suburban settings). Learn more about Sherman Indian High School at shermanindian.org/.
On Monday, September 18, the NBRPA debuted a new content series across @NBAalumni social media channels, remixing some of the best moves in NBA history as part of count down to the start of the upcoming 2023-2024 NBA season.
Legends Mixtapes, also known as "Mixtape Mondays," reimagine old-school NBA highlights set to music from the modern era, starting with a contemporary showcase of 6x NBA Champion Bob Cousy accompanied by M.O.P.'s "Ante Up." The Houdini of the Hardwood himself loved seeing the new interpretation of his ball-handling talent and said: "What a treat!"
In just the first 24 hours after its release, the inaugural mixtape produced over half a million views, plus thousands of engagements, and counting.
Watch the first two installments of the Legends Mixtape series below and follow @NBAalumi on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Threads to be the first to see the latest Legends Mixtape every Monday.
#LegendsMixtapes
Von Nieda entered the league with the NBL Tri-Cities Blackhawks in 1947 and played until 1950.
Stan “Whitey” Von Nieda died Thursday at age 101 in Elizabethtown, Pa.
Not only was Von Nieda the oldest living former NBA player, he also was the only one ever to reach 100. He received a certificate verifying that on June 19, 2022, the date he reached age 100, from the National Basketball Retired Players Association.
Von Nieda, a 6-foot-1 swingman, broke in with the NBL Tri-Cities Blackhawks in 1947 and was a member of the NBL’s All-Rookie team.
After his second pro season, Von Nieda logged his one “official” NBA season — the NBL and BAA merged in August 1949 — with Tri-Cities and Baltimore. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.4 assists per game in 59 games before an eye injury in January 1950 ended his basketball career.
“I could play either (guard or forward),” Von Nieda was quoted in Lancaster (Pa.) Online’s obituary. “Sometimes I’d take my man down inside and hook it over him.”
On Oct. 29, 1949, Von Nieda scored 14 points in the inaugural post-merger NBA game pitting Tri-Cities vs. Denver.
Von Nieda’s coach with Tri-Cities? Red Auerbach. The Tri-Cities franchise has operated uninterrupted, relocating to become the Milwaukee, St. Louis and eventually Atlanta Hawks. Interestingly, Von Nieda’s nickname was shared by his uncle, Harry Von Nieda.
Why had the native of Ephrata, Pa., been a 25-year-old rookie? After his freshman year at Penn State, Von Nieda enlisted in the Army and became a paratrooper during and after World War II. He parachuted behind German lines during the Battle of the Bulge.
Back home after his NBL/NBA stint, Von Nieda coached three seasons at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster County. He later had a career in advertising sales and worked as a bartender.
He and his first wife, the late Dorothy, raised six children. Von Nieda reportedly continued to play basketball, semi-pro and recreationally, into his 60s.
Von Nieda’s widow, Arlene, told Lancaster Online on Thursday many social occasions in which people would ask, “Is that Whitey Von Nieda? I saw him play years ago … he was great.”
There are few events that can compare with The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend, and this year’s celebration showed exactly why. For two days – spread out between the Mohegan Sun Resort in Uncasville, Connecticut and the birthplace of basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts – basketball’s immortals walked among us. They laughed, cried, shared stories from their playing and coaching days, signed autographs and showed the world why they are Hall of Famers.
Beginning on Friday night at the luxurious Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino, Legends from the NBA, WNBA, ABA and every other professional basketball entity you can imagine arrived en masse in time to attend the Hall of Fame’s first public event - an exclusive autograph session with the Class of 2023. Where else in the world can one room hold Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Pau Gasol, Becky Hammon, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich, and the members of the 1976 Team USA Women’s Basketball team just to name a few? Fans from around the globe gathered and waited their turn to celebrate their heroes and take home a little piece of memorabilia that would give them a lifetime of memories. Following the autograph sessions, participants readied themselves for the official introductory press conference where global media waited to interview and speak with each of the members of the 2023 HOF Class.
That same evening, the Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala was held in the Mohegan Sun Convention Center and the honored guests were awarded the Class of 2023 rings, presented by Baron Championship Rings, the Class of 2023 Hall of Fame jackets, and highlighted by the presentation of the Hall’s annual John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, the Mannie Jackson: Basketball’s Human Spirit Awards, and the Curt Gowdy Media Awards. If that wasn’t enough for the first day, the celebration continued long into the night with the annual National Basketball Retired Players Association’s “Players Party” at the ultra-chic Vista Lounge located in the center of the Mohegan Sun Casino. At the “Players Party,” Hall of Famers Nancy Lieberman, Spencer Haywood, Artis Gilmore rubbed elbows with Legends like Avery Johnson, business partners from Panini – who served as the event’s host and ESPN’s brightest talent in Malika Andrews, Andraya Carter who were there to celebrate their esteemed colleague, Marc Spears, being named recipient of the HOF’s Curt Gowdy Media Award.
Saturday morning, members, fans, business partners, dignitaries and the honorees took the short ride through Connecticut’s and Western Massachusetts’ idyllic countryside and green hills en route to the city of Springfield to prepare for a magnificent reception at the Marriott Springfield Downtown and the weekend’s main event – The 2023 Enshrinement Ceremony at the famed Symphony Hall. The red carpet stretched for blocks, as only a space of this size could accommodate the legendary talent that was set to walk on it prior to the night’s celebration. Pau Gasol, flanked by his family and close friends greeted everyone he could and took in the entire spectacle and explained how the international presence at this event echoed what a global game basketball has become. Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade smiled as broadly as when they won NBA Championships. Becky Hammon beamed with pride as she led her children down the path that led to the stairs at Symphony Hall and Tony Parker seemed to be carrying an entire French nation on his shoulders.
But this evening wasn’t just about the newest members about to be enshrined, it belonged to ALL Hall of Fame members. One-by-one members from classes dating back decades strutted the red carpet – blowing kisses, shaking hands, and stopping to speak with the enormous media contingent on hand to document this night. Alex English, Spencer Haywood and Chris Bosh proudly showed off their HOF orange jackets. The inimitable Calvin Murphy, as nattily dressed as ever, explained the joy he feels to have a gathering of this kind with every generation of basketball talent– past and present, and Allen Iverson discussed the immense honor for him to be able to induct his friend and protégé Dwyane Wade.
As the ceremony tipped off, one-by-one the honored gave their speeches, told their stories, and thanked the people that supported them along this journey. There was, however, one sense of commonality in all of the speeches - a sense of appreciation. Appreciation at being able to play this game. Appreciation at the hard work and humility it took to get to this level. Appreciation of the recognition about to be bestowed upon them and most of all an appreciation and respect for the game itself.
The night’s last honoree, Dwyane Wade, may have summed it up best when he called his father up to join him on stage. “We in the Hall of Fame, dawg”, he said. Yes, Dwyane, we are, and we can’t wait to do it all over again with next year’s class.
Baltimore native and HBCU product is now chairman of the National Basketball Retired Players Association
It’s an early morning breakfast in a ballroom at the The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and the group gathered — including Dave Bing, Shawn Marion, Detlef Schrempf, Renee Montgomery and Ticha Penicheiro — would be impressive to any basketball aficionado.
Early in the program, the leader of the National Basketball Retired Players Association steps up to the podium to address the group, and he’s neither a former big-time basketball star nor a former NBA player.
The name he goes by: Choo.
Wait … Choo who?
Meet Charles “Choo” Smith, a former guard with the Harlem Globetrotters and chairman of the NBRPA. Smith, an active member of the NBRPA and a member of the group’s Governor’s Committee since 2016, is the first Globetrotter to serve as chairman for the organization of retired players. He assumed the role from Johnny Davis, a former NBA veteran and coach.
Smith was named chairman of the NBRPA at the Legends brunch during February’s NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.
“When someone mentioned I’d be the next chair after Johnny resigned, I laughed,” Smith said. “I wasn’t in the NBA, so I just thought no one would ever approve of it.”
But there was one quality about Smith that made him the right person for the position.
“His passion,” said Scott Rochelle, president and CEO of the NBRPA. “Choo sees every perspective and understands everyone’s empathy. And when that passion comes out there are times where you have to take a step back and say, ‘is he upset, or is he really into this?’
“Most times he’s really into it. He just wants you to feel it.”
While he’s made a career connected with basketball, Smith is a fervent fan of his hometown Baltimore Orioles and his favorite player, Eddie Murray. One of his first acts of passion was connected to baseball. Smith’s love of the sport was so intense that he decided at an early age to carve out a baseball diamond in the Forest Park section of Baltimore where he lived.
“I measured the field, I put up the bases and I built it as a place where people could get together,” Smith said. “I wanted the kids in the neighborhood to have a place where they could play baseball and have fun.”
Baseball was the sport Smith thought he’d make a career of entering Baltimore City College high school. But the shift to basketball, which was just his hobby during his first two years of high school, came about when his skills were questioned during a summer league game.
“I was playing in a game with Devin Boyd [Towson University’s career scoring leader] and Andre Boyd [Robert Morris University Hall of Famer] and one of the guys in the game said, ‘Choo, you a scrub,’ ” Smith recalled. “Those guys playing were legends and basketball was my sport, but I ain’t nobody’s scrub. That’s when I started to take it seriously.”
Smith said he excelled in winning a church league championship later that year while competing against a collection of local legends. While his baseball coach encouraged him to skip basketball as a junior, Smith played on the City College team as a senior with his play attracting the attention of a few Division II and Division III programs.
After playing at Bowie State as a freshman, Smith transferred to the University of the District of Columbia. Smith made an impact in those three seasons in Washington, finishing his career as the school’s all-time leader in steals and assists.
As Smith was attempting to keep his basketball career going by playing in a few semipro leagues, he landed on the radar of a talent scout whose job was to find potential players for the Globetrotters and their opponent that travels with them, the Washington Generals.
“He told me that if I could come in and ball as a General that I one day could be a Globetrotter,” Smith said. “I blew them away because I was creating excitement in the games, and that’s how I became a Trotter.”
A requirement to join the team was learning the history of the iconic franchise. He discovered that Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton left the Globetrotters to become one of the NBA’s first Black players, and that Connie Hawkins and Wilt Chamberlain played with the team before launching their NBA careers.
“A lot of history that I just didn’t know,” Smith said. “It was important for me to understand in becoming an ambassador.”
The importance of that role, to Smith, was realized after an encounter with a young boy. Smith can’t remember the city, but he does recall it was a game in 2001 and the boy was hanging out with the team before and during the game and seemed magnetically attached to him.
As members of the team were taking photos with fans during halftime, Smith was shocked when the boy sat in his lap and wrapped his arms around him.
“His mother told me that he had stage four cancer, and he didn’t have much time,” Smith said, becoming emotional. “Here I thought at first this boy was being too clingy, and what he was going through put it all in perspective.
“You never know what people are going through. That’s the moment I fully understood my purpose in life.”
Charles “Choo” Smith speaks at his Youth Empowerment Basketball Clinic in Baltimore.
It’s a gorgeous Monday night in Baltimore, and driving through Catonsville it’s clear many of the local kids are kicking it with friends and enjoying the comfortable weather outside.
But inside Goals Baltimore, a sports complex just off the Baltimore Beltway, about 20 teens are focused on the sound of Smith’s voice.
“Stop, stop,” Smith barks, while putting the kids through a modified suicide drill. “Make sure you touch all the lines, make sure you do this right.”
Watching Smith, it’s clear that this is his purpose: helping develop the skill set — both mentally and physically — of the kids in his hometown.
It’s been in him his entire life, from the time he built that baseball field for his friends to play.
“I’ve had opportunities with coaching, chances to go into partnerships with businessmen who like the way I relate to people,” Smith said. “I’ve traveled to countries around the world and to all 50 states, but everything I’ve done in life has led me back to Baltimore.”
Smith’s accomplishments as a trainer and in running his Team Choo AAU program are evident by a quick glance at his social media platforms, where he often boasts about the destinations of his athletes. His kids have received college offers from schools ranging from Penn State University to Mount St. Mary’s to Vassar College, with many of the parents expressing their appreciation of his efforts.
A rising star currently under Smith’s tutelage: Autumn Fleary. She’s the only girl training under Smith at Goals on this Monday, but of the 20 kids she’s the most accomplished.
In April, Fleary was named the Baltimore Sun All-Metro girls basketball Player of the Year following her freshman season, and enters her sophomore year of high school with scholarship offers from major schools including Syracuse, Texas Christian and Virginia.
She’s trained with Smith since the third grade.
“There’s a lot I learn from him, especially ballhandling techniques,” Fleary said. “But the most important thing he’s told me is to remain humble and take nothing for granted. Coming from Baltimore the opportunities are rare, so he always tells me to bring it and work hard every time I step on the court.”
Besides training players and his AAU program, Smith always runs a camp each summer at Coppin State University. That camp is still in the recovery phase after being shut down for a year by the coronavirus pandemic, but on a recent Friday more than 40 kids were on Coppin’s main floor for a slate of games.
“Coppin knew what we were doing with our camp, and when they opened the new gym they asked us to bring it here,” Smith said. “The kids love coming here because it’s a great environment.”
Smith has bigger visions for youth development in his hometown. He’s worked out an agreement with the city of Baltimore to acquire a nearly 20-acre site where he boldly envisions athletic and educational centers as well as retail and housing in a place dubbed Arise. Details of the deal are still being worked out.
“I have an opportunity to provide something special, and I want to capitalize on that opportunity,” Smith said. “With the city embracing me on this project, we can really create some change.”
Joining the Globetrotters gave Smith an opportunity to meet some basketball legends and one of those greats, Curly Neal, pulled him aside after he joined the team and offered some advice.
“ ‘It’s your time,’ ” Smith recalled Neal telling him. “ ‘You love the work. Take this brand and continue to build it.’ ”
That advice could easily apply to his current role with the NRBPA, where Smith as chairman is helping continue to grow a long established brand.
“I got involved with the [NRBPA] years ago, and I remember someone saying that we need to get younger and we need to have programs that’s going to really help in the second phase of their life after basketball,” Smith said. “That was really intriguing to me.”
That led him to his current place within the organization as chairman, addressing a group of athletes at the recent breakfast in Las Vegas.
Some of them were legends who thought enough of Smith to be confident in his ability to lead.
“We’ve got a lot of work done, and there’s a lot of work to do,” Smith said. “I think I’ve proven to them I can handle it.”
Jerry Bembry is a senior writer at Andscape. His bucket list items include being serenaded by Lizz Wright and watching the Knicks play a MEANINGFUL NBA game in June.
LEGENDS LED LOCAL YOUTH FROM DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT OUTREACH GROUP IN BASKETBALL ACTIVITIES AND LIFE SKILLS CURRICULUM
CHICAGO, ILL -. June 29, 2023 – The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) and its Dallas Chapter teamed up to bring basketball fun and life skills lessons to youth from the Dallas Police Department Outreach Group on Saturday, June 24th at LG Pinkston High School – which produced Dink Pate - the youngest American born, professional basketball player, and who is currently signed to play with the NBA’s G-League Ignite. Led by NBRPA Chapter President Willie Davis, NBA Legends Morlon Wiley, and Jimmy King, local youth participated in a wide array of basketball instruction including proper passing and shooting techniques, defensive drills and the value of teamwork. Additionally, the youth were treated to in-depth conversations with the NBRPA Legends on the importance of respect, mentorship, and leadership.
During the event, participants were treated to special gifts from longtime NBRPA partners including:
Jr. NBA/NBRPA T-Shirt,
Mitchell & Ness Hats,
Panini NBA Trading Cards.
Full Court Press is designed to support the development of participating youth both on and off the court through basketball instruction, mentorship, and an innovative life skills curriculum. Several Legends of Basketball, both men and women with NBA, WNBA, ABA and/or Harlem Globetrotters backgrounds, serve as basketball coaches and mentors for the 150-200 youth at each clinic while NBRPA community partners offer additional life skills programming.
Since 2013, the NBRPA has held over 100 Full Court Press: Prep for Success clinics impacting more than 7,500 underserved youth both locally and globally. With your support, Full Court Press and the NBRPA can increase their impact by donating here.
To view images of Full Court Press Program in Dallas please visit NBA Alumni on Flickr.
(PHOTO CREDIT: NBRPA)
About the National Basketball Retired Players Association The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is comprised of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA, and WNBA. It is a 501(c) 3 organization with a mission to develop, implement and advocate a wide array of programs to benefit its members, supporters and the community. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. The NBRPA works in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Legends Care is the charitable initiative of the NBRPA that positively impacts youth and communities through basketball. Scott Rochelle is President and CEO, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Chairman of the Board Charles “Choo” Smith, Treasurer Sam Perkins, Secretary Grant Hill, Nancy Lieberman, CJ Kupec, Mike Bantom, Caron Butler, Jerome Williams, Shawn Marion, Clarence “Chucky” Brown and Robert Horry. Learn more at legendsofbasketball.com.
