The

Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...

Pro Summer League, known originally as the

Shaw's Shaw's and Star Market are two American supermarket chains under united management based in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, employing about 30,000 associates in 150 total stores; 129 stores are operated under the Shaw's banner in Maine, Massac ...

Pro Summer League, was a

professional basketball In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger a ...

developmental league hosted by the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) during the league's off-season at Clark Athletic Center on the campus of the

University of Massachusetts Boston The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a Public university, public US-based research university. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus University of Ma ...

. Founded in 1999, the league planned a 2004 season, but was forced to fold due to the

2004 Democratic National Convention The 2004 Democratic National Convention convened from July 26 to 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston, Massachusetts, and nominated Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts for president and Senator John Edwards from North ...

, which was being held in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. From 1999 to 2002, the league was sponsored by

grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday US usage, however, "grocery store" is a synon ...

chain Shaw's. In 2003,

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serve the purpose of protective clothing, protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from rough ground; stability on slippery ground; and temperature. *Shoes and si ...

and

apparel Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

company Reebok became the title sponsor of the league.

History

The

Pro Summer League was announced in 1999 as an off-season development league hosted by the

at Clark Athletic Center on the campus of the

. Along with the Celtics, the league featured the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

and

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

. There was also a select team of members of the 1999 German men's national basketball team. Tickets for the league were $8, which was good for two games. Shaw's, a

chain, gave away 11,000 tickets in conjunction with the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

of Massachusetts Bay. UMass Boston campus

In March 2000, the Boston Celtics announced the Shaw's Pro Summer League would return to the University of Massachusetts Boston campus from July 17 to July 24. Between July 18 and July 20 three games were broadcast on

ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...

. During the 2000 season, Shaw's sponsored the Shaw's Cup, which was an award given to the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

in the league. The inaugural award was given to

Desmond Mason Desmond Tremaine Mason (born October 11, 1977) is an American painter and former professional basketball player. He played as a shooting guard and small forward. Mason has also found success as an artist, working in a variety of media. Currently ...

of the Seattle SuperSonics. He was also named to the 2000 Shaw's Pro Summer League All-Tournament team, along with

Shammond Williams Shammond Omar Williams (born April 5, 1975) is an American-born naturalized Georgian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he played at both point guard and shooting guard positions. During his career he played in the NBA and in E ...

Michael Redd Michael Wesley Redd (born August 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted 43rd overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2000 NBA draft and was an All-Star in 2004. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, where he atten ...

Jumaine Jones Jumaine Lanard Jones (born February 10, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. An NBA player from 1999 to 2007 drafted from the University of Georgia, he played the small forward and power forward positions. Amateur career ...

and Jeff Foster. Williams, who also played for Seattle, led the league in scoring with 20.5 points per game, followed by Mason who averaged 18.2 points per game. The two led the SuperSonics to a 5–1 record, which was tied for first place with the Milwaukee Bucks. Philadelphia 76ers player

Raja Bell Raja Dia Bell (born September 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Bobcats, and Go ...

won the 2001 Shaw's Cup, which was given to the league's most valuable player. He averaged 21.4 points per game and shot 61.5 percent from the field. Bell was also named to the Shaw's Pro Summer League All-League team along with teammate

Dion Glover Micaiah Diondae "Dion" Glover (born October 22, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a member of the BIG3 basketball league's inaugural championship ...

of the Atlanta Hawks,

Kwame Brown Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected first overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown was ...

of the Washington Wizards and Joe Johnson of the Boston Celtics. The New Jersey Nets defeated the 76ers, 93–89 for the 2001 league title. The Nets had a 5–1 record. In 2002, the league featured ten teams—the host Boston Celtics, the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs, and Washington Wizards. The 2002 Shaws Cup, which was awarded to the league's most valuable player, was won by

of the Atlanta Hawks. He averaged 17.8 points per game in six games played. The Hawks had a perfect 6–0 record and were crowned league champions.

became the league's title sponsor in 2003. That season, the league went from July 14 to July 20 and was again held at Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

NBA TV NBA TV is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through TNT Sports. Dedicated to basketball, the network features exhibition, regular se ...

broadcast nine games from the Reebok Pro Summer League, starting with a July 16 game between the Celtics and San Antonio Spurs. Matt Devlin and

Spero Dedes Spero Dedes (; born February 27, 1979) is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by CBS Sports, calling the NFL and college basketball games, and TNT Sports, calling NBA and college basketball games. He has previously worked as t ...

served as the

play-by-play In Broadcasting of sports events, sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as a sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real time (media), real-time live commentary of a game or event, traditionally delivered in the present t ...

announcer and

Bill Raftery William Joseph Raftery (born April 19, 1943) is an American basketball analyst and former college basketball coach. Early life and playing years Born William Joseph Raftery in Orange, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Kearny, Raftery grew up i ...

and

Sam Vincent James Samuel Vincent (born May 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He is the current coach of MBB of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Vincent was Mr. Basketball of Michigan in 1981, while playing with ...

were the

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

. The league had unique rules that differed from regular season NBA rules. Quarters were limited from 12 to 10 minutes with three minute

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

periods if necessary, no mandatory timeouts (unless the game is broadcast on television), and the foul penalty was seven. No player was eligible to be fouled out, but after a player's sixth foul any subsequent fouls by that player would result in a single

technical foul In basketball, a technical foul (colloquially known as a "T" or a "tech") is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between opposing players on the court, or is a foul by a ...

shot. Ten teams competed that year, with the San Antonio Spurs winning the league title with a 6–0 record. DNCconventionLINK

In 2003,

John Salmons John Rashall Salmons (born December 12, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Miam ...

of the Philadelphia 76ers was named the league's Most Outstanding Player with an average of 19.6 points and 5.8 assists per game. Salmons was also named to the Reebok Pro Summer League First Team with

Kedrick Brown Albert Kedrick Brown (born March 18, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Born and raised in Zachary, Louisiana, Brown played college basketball at Okaloosa-Walton Community College (now Northwest Florida Stat ...

and

Brandon Hunter Brandon Hunter (November 24, 1980 – September 12, 2023) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a college basketball career with the Ohio Bobcats, leading the NCAA in rebounding in 2 ...

of the Boston Celtics,

Devin Brown Devin LaVell Brown (born December 30, 1978) is an American former professional basketball shooting guard who played 8 seasons in the National Basketball Association. Brown won an NBA championship as a member of the San Antonio Spurs in 2005. ...

of the San Antonio Spurs and

Donny Marshall Donny Marshall (born July 17, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who played five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Jersey Nets. He is currently a college basketball ...

of the New Jersey Nets. The second team consisted of

Juan Dixon Juan Max Dixon (born October 9, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player and the previous head coach for Coppin State University in Baltimore. Dixon led the University of Maryland Terrapins to their first NCAA championship in ...

of the Washington Wizards, T. J. Ford of the Milwaukee Bucks,

Marcus Banks Arthur Lemarcus Banks III (born November 19, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball, UNLV Runnin' Rebels, where he was Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a ...

of the Boston Celtics,

Brian Scalabrine Brian David Scalabrine (born March 18, 1978), jokingly nicknamed the "White Mamba", is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a television analyst for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). ...

of the New Jersey Nets and

Carlos Boozer Carlos Austin Boozer Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, and then spent his last season ...

of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The league planned to continue in 2004, but that year's Democratic National Convention was being held in

, and as a result

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

rooms were scarce. Warren LeGarie invited the Reebok Pro Summer League teams—the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, and Washington Wizards—to play in his upstart league, the

Las Vegas Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

. The league is now owned and run by the National Basketball Association.

Notable players

Rafer Alston Rafer Jamel Alston (born July 24, 1976), nicknamed "Skip 2 My Lou" after the American folk song and partner-stealing dance with the same name, is an American retired professional basketball player. Alston first gained basketball fame as a street ...

(2000) *

Chucky Atkins Kenneth Lavon "Chucky" Atkins (born August 14, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player who played for nine different NBA teams throughout his career. Basketball career Atkins played college basketball at the University of Sout ...

(1999) *

Tony Battie Demetrius Antonio Battie (born February 11, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He works as an analyst for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). High school and college career Battie attended ...

(1999–2000) *

(2001) *

Steve Blake Steven Hanson Blake (born February 26, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. After winning the 2002 NCAA Championship with Maryland, Blake was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 38th overall pick in the ...

(2003) *

Mark Blount Mark D. Blount ( ; born November 30, 1975) is an American former professional basketball center with four teams in the National Basketball Association between 2000 and 2009. Career Blount spent his freshman year of high school in Summerville, ...

(2000) *

(2003) *

(2001–03) *

Rick Brunson Eric Daniel Brunson (born June 14, 1972) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played nine seasons in the NBA and has als ...

(1999–2001) *

Speedy Claxton Craig Elliott "Speedy" Claxton (born May 8, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player and the current head coach of the Hofstra University men's basketball team. Claxton won an NBA championship in 2003 as a member of the San Ant ...

(2001) *

Jason Collins Jason Paul Collins (born December 2, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who was a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal, where he wa ...

(2002) *

Samuel Dalembert Samuel Davis Dalembert (born May 10, 1981) is a Haitian-Canadian former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Seton Hall University. During his active N ...

(2001, 2003) *

Boris Diaw Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod (born 16 April 1982), better known as Boris Diaw, is a French basketball executive and former player who is the president of Metropolitans 92 of LNB Pro A. Diaw began his playing career in Pro A and returned to that lea ...

(2003) *

Dan Dickau Daniel David Dickau (born September 16, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who currently works as an on-air broadcaster for ESPN, the Pac-12 Network, CBS Sports Network, Fox Sports and Westwood One. He is also a co-host o ...

(2002–03) *

Pervis Ellison Pervis Ellison (born April 3, 1967) is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Nicknamed "Never Nervous Pervis" for his clutch play with the University of Louisville, after leading Louisville to a national championship, E ...

(1999) * Maurice Evans (2002) * T. J. Ford (2003) * Jeff Foster (1999–2000) *

Eddie Gill Edward Gill III (born August 16, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. Gill was born played college basketball at the College of Eastern Utah, Salt Lake Community College, and Weber State University. With the Weber State W ...

(2001) *

(2000–02) *

Al Harrington Albert Harrington (born February 17, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. Selected with the 25th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Harrington played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Indiana ...

(1999) *

Udonis Haslem Udonis Johneal Haslem ( ; born June 9, 1980) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. He is the vice president of basketball development for the Miami Heat, where he List of NBA players who have spent their entire caree ...

(2002–03) *

Brendan Haywood Brendan Todd Haywood (born November 27, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who was a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Following his playin ...

(2002) *

Larry Hughes Larry Darnell Hughes Sr. (born January 23, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. Hughes played for eight different teams during his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hughes attended Saint Louis Un ...

(1999) *

Stephen Jackson Stephen Jesse Jackson (born April 5, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Mi ...

(2002) *

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

(2003) *

Richard Jefferson Richard Allen Jefferson Jr. (born June 21, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played small forward. He played for eight teams in his 17-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jefferson playe ...

(2001–02) * Joe Johnson (2001) *

Kerry Kittles Kerry Kittles (born June 12, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. A shooting guard, Kittles played for the New Jersey Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers in an NBA career that spanned from 1996 to 2005. ...

(2001) *

Kyle Korver Kyle Elliot Korver (born March 17, 1981) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the assistant general manager for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for ...

(2003) *

Rashard Lewis Rashard Quovon Lewis (born August 8, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. Lewis entered the NBA directly from Alief Elsik High School. He rose to prominence in the NBA as a scorer with the Seattle SuperSonics, and was late ...

(1999) * Felipe López (2002) *

Sean Marks Sean Andrew Marks (born 23 August 1975) is a New Zealand-American basketball executive and former player and coach who is the general manager of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the first New Zealand-born p ...

(2001) *

(2000–01) *

Darius Miles Darius LaVar Miles (born October 9, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. The , forward was selected directly out of high school by the Los Angeles Clippers with the third overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft. He was a Fi ...

(2003) *

Nazr Mohammed Nazr Tahiru Mohammed ( ; born September 5, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who had a journeyman career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing for eight different teams over 18 seasons. He is the current ...

(1999–2000) *

Jamario Moon Jamario Raman Moon (born June 13, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for one season at Meridian Community College and began his professional career with teams in the United States Basketbal ...

(2001) * Gheorghe Muresan (1999) *

Kevin Ollie Kevin Jermaine Ollie (born December 27, 1972) is an American basketball coach and former player who most recently was the interim head coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the former head coach of the ...

(1999–2000) *

Smush Parker William Henry "Smush" Parker III (born June 1, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the NBA G-League and several leagues overseas. Parker played shooting guard in co ...

(2002) *

Tony Parker William Anthony Parker Jr. (born 17 May 1982) is a French-American former professional basketball player and majority owner of ASVEL Basket, LDLC ASVEL of the LNB Élite and the EuroLeague. The son of a basketball pro, Parker started his career ...

(2001) *

Ruben Patterson Ruben Nathaniel Patterson (born July 31, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. During his career, he played as a small forward and shooting guard. During his college career at the University of Cincinnati, Patterson earned ...

(1999) *

Kendrick Perkins Kendrick Le'Dale Perkins (born November 10, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as sports analyst for ESPN. He entered the NBA directly out of high school and played for the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunde ...

(2003) *

Joel Przybilla Joel Przybilla (; born October 10, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who played the center position for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). High school career Przybilla was born in Monticello, M ...

(2000–02) *

Vladimir Radmanović Vladimir Radmanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимир Радмановић; born 19 November 1980) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. In Serbia he played for Crvena zvezda and FMP and in the National Basketball Association ...

(2001) *

(2000–01) *

(2003) *

(2001–03) *

Etan Thomas Dedrick Etan Thomas (born April 1, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also a published po ...

(2002–03) *

Earl Watson Earl Joseph Watson Jr. (born June 12, 1979) is an American professional basketball coach and former player, who serves as an assistant coach for the San Diego Toreros. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, where he was a four-year ...

(2001) *

Lorenzen Wright Lorenzen Vern-Gagne Wright (November 4, 1975 – July 19, 2010) was an American professional basketball player for thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted seventh overall in the 1996 NBA draft by the Los An ...

(2000)

References

External links

2002 Shaw's Summer Pro League
via

Inside Hoops InsideHoops.com, or Inside Hoops, is a basketball news website that was founded in 1999 by Jeff Lenchiner. The site, which updates several times a day, primarily delivers NBA basketball coverage. The site also features basic daily college basketb ...

Boston Celtics 2003 Reebok Pro Summer League Media Guide
via

NBA.com The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

* * * * * {{Reebok 1999 establishments in Massachusetts 2004 disestablishments in Massachusetts Boston Celtics NBA Summer League Reebok Basketball competitions in Boston

History

Notable players

See also

References

External links