LOS ANGELES - Ethan Anderson is a young baller from Los Angeles working on his game. He will be playing for USC next season but eventually wants to be like Baron Davis and Pooh Jeter.
They both played in the NBA.
Davis is now focused on his LA Unified clothing brand after spending 13 seasons in the league.
He knows what it means to represent the City of Angeles on basketball’s biggest stage.
“When you look at L.A. and you look at basketball – basketball is our life. So, we just have a love and a respect for the game from a creative standpoint that a lot of people can’t really tap into,” Davis said.
This past season, 33 of the 494 players in the league were from Southern California, that’s more than from any other single state in the country. Kawhi Leonard was named NBA Finals MVP, while two of the three season MVP candidates are SoCal natives.
“That’s a testament to us as a family. You know that’s a testament to LA Unified. We all been pulling each other up as far as we can go together,” added Davis.
Now, they’re rooting for the next generation of talent like Anderson to carry on the tradition of L.A. hoops.
“It’s my responsibility now to not only pursue my career the best as I can to use the blessings and talents I’ve been given, but also give back,” said Anderson.
Jeter, who was once in Anderson’s shoes, is giving back, hosting workouts every day for the young players on the rise.
“I’m just doing what Baron did for us. I feel like it would be selfish if I just kept the information and kept on going with my life instead of giving them the knowledge and wisdom," said Jeter.
Baron mentored Jeter, who is now mentoring the next generation. It’s this LA Unified spirit which has made Los Angeles the city of basketball.