In March, Tracy McGrady announced the formation of his new league, “Ones Basketball League.”
Ones Basketball League (OBL) pits players against each other in an elite one-on-one competition.
It’s an effort by McGrady to bring back the focus on individual player skill for the court instead of “the Gram”.
So far the League has held events in Houston, Chicago and Atlanta.
As it prepares for its fourth stop in Brooklyn, NY this weekend, the OBL announced they inked a content partnership with SHOWTIME Sports.
This partnership gives OBL a true media partner, one that continues to expand its basketball offerings.
Per the release:
SHOWTIME Sports will distribute a behind-the-scenes, all-access documentary feature for its YouTube channel capturing the story of this season through the eyes of Tracy McGrady. SHOWTIME Sports will also produce short-form digital content for distribution across its social networks from the remainder of the inaugural OBL season through the league’s Las Vegas Championship in July.
“The production and creative team at SHOWTIME Sports knows how to build and tell stories like no one else, and the detailed background and exciting drama we have already started to capture with OBL makes this content partnership a perfect fit for us,” said McGrady. “The team at SHOWTIME shares our excitement for putting a spotlight on one-on-one basketball and all of the great action, rich stories, and hyper-competition that flows from the game.”
Being able to learn about the OBL competitors was a point Tracy emphasized during our interview this past March.
“Instead of watching game highlights on TV, I noticed my sons learned about new talent by watching highlights of individual players on YouTube, and that stuck with me,” McGrady told me. “Think about it. In MMA, no one knew who those guys were before they fought one-on-one in the UFC.”
Through this partnership with SHOWTIME Sports, the league will be able to tell their stories and bring audiences closer to each player.
“Our goal this year is to test and preview how we should best spotlight and celebrate the competition, raw athletic talent, and extraordinary skills of these young rising stars,” said McGrady.
“We believe in Tracy’s vision and are thrilled to be working with the OBL on their inaugural season,” said Brian Dailey, SVP, Sports Programming & Content, Showtime Networks Inc. “This collaboration embodies the SHOWTIME Basketball brand — premium, bold and boundary-pushing. We are delighted to welcome Tracy and the OBL team to our unmatched lineup of content and talent.”
The Ones Basketball League will make stops in the DMV (June 4-5) and Los Angeles (June 18-19) before heading to Las Vegas for the championship game.
There one player will win a $250,000 grand prize and be crowned “Ruler of the Court.”
For more information on the Ones Basketball League, click here.
