The Rumph Classic hits the road for a Pro-Am league unlike any other

LOS ANGELES — Pro-Am summer basketball boils down to community and players representing where they come from.

The Pro-Am Basketball Classic’s media day was the first, and perhaps only, time that members of all six major summer basketball Pro-Ams shared a room away from the court. Naturally, city rivalries ensued.

When a championship ring was pulled out, there was discourse about wagering for it during the weekend tournament. And when a Drew League player spoke about the credentials of Los Angeles basketball, he was quickly reminded that Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, the pride of Lower Merion High School, had honed his game in Philadelphia.

“It puts a smile on my face to see everybody being able to engage with people, building relationships,” said Mike Morak, the commissioner of Team Rumph Classic. “Those types of moments, everybody can talk about. In years, people are going to talk about the experience of being on that first team.”

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The six leagues — Drew League (Los Angeles), Dyckman (New York), Atlanta Entertainment Basketball League, Miami Pro League, Brunson League (Baltimore), and Philly’s Rumph Classic — battled in a three-day round robin tournament at the renowned King/Drew gym in Los Angeles.

Drew League came out victorious, defeating Miami in the inaugural championship. But the first-of-its-kind tournament was a concept that took years to get past the drawing board.

Sean Brunson first had the idea to bring Pro-Ams together in 2016, two years after he started the Brunson League. The event was originally scheduled for 2020 but was delayed two years by the pandemic.

He was flooded with emotions watching the referee toss up the ball at center court for the first game.

“Like it doesn’t feel real to know that I’ve been working on this for so long, then for it to come to fruition and that ball actually goes up,” Brunson said. “You see the banners of each league, and you see RedBull, who agreed to be our title sponsor. It was just joy and happiness.”

Team Rumph held a pregame shootaround Friday at the Colonel Leon H. Washington Park gym — the previous home of the Drew League, where Bryant famously dueled with James Harden during the 2011 NBA lockout. The practice focused on coach Chuck Ellis installing quick-hitting plays in preparation for the two scheduled games.

Then came the bright lights.

Exposed brick on all four walls lined with league banners gave King/Drew a more intimate feel with a focus on basketball. The stands run about 10 rows deep on either sideline with enough room in the corners for clusters of fans.

Team Rumph split its weekend, falling to Miami Pro, 92-85, then knocking off AEBL, 87-65, behind a fourth-quarter surge.

Philly’s delegation played from behind during most of Friday’s loss. Team Rumph bounced back with a win over AEBL on Saturday behind an 18-point outing from Brandon Austin and three three-pointers from Shannon Givens, who learned he’d be playing the day before boarding his cross-country flight.

Team Rumph assembled its roster by drawing from all parts of the city. Maurice Watson comes from West Philly. Wali Hepburn and Nazeer Bostick represent South Philly. Rodney Green grew up in Southwest Philly. And Shannon and his brother, Samme, are from Olney.

“The summer is all about making a name for themselves,” said Baron Davis, who played 15 years in the NBA and was in attendance for Saturday’s games. “This is a time where basketball is 24/7. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

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Each league commissioner has high aspirations for the potential growth of the PABC.

Chaniel Smiley, who inherited the Drew League from her father, Dino, and is the first female Pro-Am commissioner, said they’ve already received interest from Pro-Ams out of Chicago, Houston, and Dallas. Morak added that they hope to build on the full experience of the weekend for players and fans alike, while moving the venue to each participating city.

“I think the players will naturally always get better,” Morak said. “I think the people start looking forward to representing their city — a little more city pride and league pride. Then I think [they’ll go] back into their markets letting the trash talk happen and then how [the tournament] will carry on.”