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LeBron James played in the Drew League on Saturday. This is his first appearance since 2011, when the NBA was in the middle of a lockout.
James teamed up with Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan in Los Angeles to compete in the Pro-Am Basketball League. Their team, MMV Heaters, won 104-102 matches at Black Pearl Elite.
It was the first time a Los Angeles Lakers superstar had appeared on the court about three months after the season ended without a playoff.
“I’m 100% healthy,” James declared to ESPN after the first half.
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The James and DeRozan teams were down seven points in the fourth quarter before returning to win the game.
37-year-old James scored 42 points, 16 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists. DeRozan from Compton played in the Drew League in the summer, adding 30 points and 14 rebounds.
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“To come here in the middle of the hood where he is here and there are regulars who respect him every day … because he is a superstar, to come here and grace these people in his presence I think it’s great Dope. ” Ethan Albano, who played for the Black Pearl Elite, told ESPN. “I’m glad he did it, and it’s great for the community.”
After the game was over, James posted on Instagram:
The game brought Draymond Green, Montrezl Harrell, Kendrick Nunn, Talen Horton-Tucker and more to the gymnasium.
Kyrie Irving, who was expected to play in one of the games, did not.
The Drew League is a professional amateur basketball league launched in 1973 by Alvin Willis, who worked at Charles R. Drew Middle School. Since 2012, league games have been played in Medicine and Science at King / Drew Magnet High School in the Willow Brook area of Los Angeles.
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The league has grown in popularity since the lockout in 2011. NBA stars such as James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Paul George have all played in Drew League games for the past decade or so.