The Miami Pro League provides NBA players an opportunity to prepare

The Miami Pro League provides NBA players and hopefuls with the opportunity to get ready for the upcoming season and practice against high-level competition

Picture yourself as an NBA player looking for high-level competition in the summer. You’re based on the East Coast and don’t want to fly out to somewhere like California or Seattle. You don’t believe that having your trainer video tape you making 17 consecutive unguarded 3-pointers is the best use of your time either.

Enter: The Miami Pro League.

The Miami Pro League is an 8-team, 6-week summer basketball league that offers high-level hoopers a competitive environment to keep their skills sharp during the offseason. The league runs from the first week in July through the second week in August. Two games per night are played on Tuesdays and Thursdays during that time-span.

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Games are played at Miami Senior High School and often attract crowds of over two thousand. In fact, the league, now in its sixth year, has become so popular that games are live-streamed on www.gamekeepr.com. As of the time of this writing, the league has over 17,000 followers on Instagram.

So far this season, current and former NBA players include: Josh Richardson, Andre Drummond, Amar’e Stoudemire, Tim Hardaway Jr., Carlos Boozer, Mario Chalmers, Tyler Johnson, Derrick Jones Jr., and Bam Adebayo.

In fact, Adebayo was named Most Valuable Player this summer after recording 28 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks for the winning team, Taylor Sports Group, in the championship game. Jones Jr., Adebayo’s teammate on the Miami Heat and in the Miami Pro League, was also impressive, scoring 45 points in one game.

There are plenty of other familiar names in the field, even if they have not had lengthy careers in the NBA. On any given night you can see players who are still on the NBA’s radar like Jeremy Pargo of Gonzaga, Briante Weber of VCU, Isaiah Reese of Canisius, and Georgia Tech’s Glen Rice Jr. Rice’s father and former NBA All-Star, Glen Rice Sr., coaches the team on which his son plays.

In order to field a team, team organizers must reach out to Damien Jordan, the Director of Player and Team Personnel for the league, to secure their spot. Once a team is formally invited, they can add whoever they like to the roster. The games are NCAA and NBA sanctioned, meaning all manner of high-caliber players end up on teams.

Jordan, better known as Debo to those in and around the league, explained why this event has become so popular among high-profile players.

"“Being that we are in the beautiful city of Miami and we are an ultra-competitive, NBA-sanctioned league, it gives the players a place to get competitive runs while they are working out during the summer and getting ready for their season,” said Jordan. “I mean, what better place than Miami to get work in during the summer? We got the beaches, beautiful weather, beautiful women and great basketball, what more can you ask for?”"

The league came about when Commissioner Kyle Davis invited Jordan and a few others over to the Country Walk Community in Miami to discuss a league he wanted to start. That first night, the group sat together in a garage while Davis explained his idea for the league. When asked about the formation of the league, Jordan said it was “just some friends in a garage that had an idea and wanted to do something dope for the community of Miami.”

Former Washington Wizard Andray Blatche was one of the first NBA players to participate in the league, which helped it gain some additional credibility among players. Since then, the league typically attracts anywhere from 15 to 20 NBA-caliber players each summer.

Other than a chance to keep the rust off, what else do the players get out of their Miami Pro League experience?

"“Other than Nike championship packages, the winning team has the bragging rights to say they are the champions of one of the most competitive summer Pro-Am’s in the country,” said Jordan."

Basketball fans who seemingly cannot get enough hoops content during the summer have started really paying attention to leagues like the Miami Pro League and Drew League in California to get their fix. A video of an acrobatic, in-game finish by Rockets Summer League team member Isaiah Reese has over 27,100 views on Twitter.

For Reese, this league was an additional opportunity to work on his game and to show both the basketball establishment and fans that he belongs.

"“Being able to be on-the-ball again felt good. It’s been a while since I was able to play the 1-position for the majority of the game. I used the Pro League to work on things I typically wouldn’t be able to do in an organized setting,” said Reese."

A key contributor for Team D.R.E.A.M., Reese scored 22 points and had four rebounds and four assists in his team’s semifinal game. He then recorded 33 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and spurred his team to a major comeback in the aforementioned championship game.

Although, his team ultimately fell short, he was able to make his presence felt in a game which featured a handful of current NBA players.

"“I’ve been told by many different NBA players that I can flat out hoop. I think this summer, playing in the Pro League, gave people from the city of Miami and whoever else was watching, the opportunity to see that for themselves,” said Reese."

League officials are not willing to settle for what could already be deemed the successful realization of that original dream. They have even bigger plans for future seasons.

"“We are looking to expand; more teams, more weeks, bigger branding and sponsorships. And last but not least, we want to start a tournament of champions again, with the top 4 to 6 Pro-Am leagues in the country going at it to see who’s got the best talent and not just the best highlight videos,” said Jordan. “Oh yeah, and we’re looking to put a team in The Basketball Tournament next summer.”"

Next. New York Knicks: How the hole grew deeper through the Isiah Thomas era. dark

Stay tuned, basketball fans, this is certainly not the last you will hear of the Miami Pro League.

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