NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady is working to expose the world to the players overlooked in basketball through his newest venture, Ones Basketball League (OBL).
The one-vs-one league is McGrady’s first venture, his brainchild featuring an elite competition that celebrates the most skilled players on the planet.
One-vs-One
“I’ve always invested in other people’s ideas and other people’s vision,” McGrady said to CNBC. “Not once did I ever trust mine. I didn’t have the confidence to think mine was good enough. I didn’t trust my ideas or decision-making when it came to my vision.
“This is the first time I actually trusted and believed that I can pull this off.”
The league is going to six cities across the U.S. via a two-day, regional, 32-player round-robin knockout tournament. Athletes aged 18 and up that are currently not under an NBA contract and have not been on an active NBA roster for more than 164 games (equivalent to two NBA regular seasons) are eligible.
The regional tournaments hit basketball meccas: New York City, the DMV region and Los Angeles, with winners of each regional tournament taking home a $10,000 cash prize.
Generation Z Style Tournament
Additionally, winners receive an invitation to the finals, which will see 21 players (the top three from each region) compete to win a $250,000 grand prize and be crowned “Ruler of the Court.” McGrady reportedly will pay out close to $10 million, including the $250,000 prize to the OBL champion.
The spark to start the entity came from McGrady’s two teenage sons, who showed him one-on-one basketball through the short form content they consume. He realized that Generation Z is a market with longevity, as they are more tuned into “YouTube, short-form content, highlights,” and don’t watch live NBA or NCAA games.
Read full story at The Shadow League here.
