While most of the basketball world was focused on the glitz and the glamour of the NBA All-Star game and all of the hoopla surrounding, a new movement in basketball had its day just a few blocks from Staples Center.
On Saturday, under a gritty overpass at the Lower Grand Street Tunnel in downtown L.A., the inaugural Nike Basketball Los Fearless 2-on-2 tournament went off. 64 teams showed up to do battle for a $2,000 cash prize and the bragging rights that come with surviving what is undoubtedly one of the most brutal tournaments in the known basketball world. In it’s most simple form, the Los Fearless game is full court 2-on-2 with a scoring system that rewards players for scoring in the paint – it’s a setup that creates a style of play not for the faint of heart.
We charted the journey that the players made up to and through the tournament. Secrecy, surprises and the opportunity to test their mettle before the lights came on Saturday morning awaited every player deemed to have the skills and toughness to be invited to play in the tourney (check out these three incredible teaser videos about the event).
When it came time to get after it on Saturday morning, Los Fearless did not disappoint. The players were ready, and it was clear from the jump that every athlete in the field represented the best that L.A. and its surrounding areas had to offer (including THIS DUDE). Games were run on five different courts laid down in the tunnel and the fans who made their way down to the event could check out new Nike product, customize t-shirts, hit a NIKEiD station and more.
When the dust settled close to 7 p.m. West Coast time, the Black Mambas were the last team standing. The duo of “Doc” and his partner Zack Frey (a guy we’ve known for almost 10 years after he first appeared in a Venice Beach basketball photo gallery back in the day). Both guys acknowledged that while the cash prize they get for winning the tournament is great, knowing that they survived and beat L.A.’s best is even better.
Here is a photo of the them being interviewed by Los Fearless tournament host Michelle Marie
