'Basketball saved my life': Drew League documentary tells tale of family (VIDEO)
In the documentary "The Drew: No Excuse, Just Produce," Stephanie Smiley, the Drew League's First Lady, says she views herself as "the mother of hundreds."
Consequently that makes her husband Dino, who's been the Drew League Commissioner since 1984, the father of hundreds.
At its core, the Drew League is about family as depicted in the documentary "The Drew: No Excuse, Just Produce," co-produced and co-directed by former NBA (and Clippers) point guard Baron Davis.
The film, which had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival over the weekend, shows how the Drew League has ingrained itself into the fabric of the Watts community and has branched out into other parts of Los Angeles.
Running the Drew League for Smiley really is a family affair.
As Davis has stated in the past "this is not just a sports documentary."
Drew League #documentary premieres at #LA Film Festival, via @RHaylock. http://t.co/3kDjxft2lr #thedrewdoc pic.twitter.com/DohtJLvsqJ
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) June 14, 2015
It's about family ... Smiley's and others who, through multiple generations, have made participating in the Drew League, in one form or another, a family production.
Beneath it all is basketball that ties everything together.
"Basketball saved my life," Davis said in the film.
In a land where crime, drugs, and gangs are fixtures, the Drew League became a safe haven of sorts for many.
The film chronicles the start of the Drew League over 40 years ago, with tons of archived footage, up through the present.
With appearances from Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant, the film shows how the NBA Lockout of 2011 brought The Drew acclaim around the world.
