It was the summer of 2011, and players …

It was the summer of 2011, and players in the National Basketball Association were in the midst of a heated lockout. At a time when players would typically be gearing up to report to NBA training camp in September, the stars were looking for any morsel of competition to keep their skills sharp. Thanks to the conflict over dispersion of revenue, the salary cap and luxury tax, it resulted in generational talents such as James, Bryant and Durant making their first Drew League appearances during that remarkable summer.