Home to Houston's best ballers, Fonde Recreation Center still a proving ground for pros and amateurs
Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographerIt’s the middle of the NBA offseason, but in a small gym on the banks of Buffalo Bayou near downtown, professional basketball players are still getting buckets. Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt warms up at a basket to the side of the main court, while former Rockets player Danuel House Jr. watches a fast break unfold from the baseline.
For local Houstonians and college players who haven’t made the leap to the pros yet, Fonde is a place to hone their skills and prove they can hang with the game’s best. In the years that followed, summer pro-ams — leagues where professionals play with and against top amateurs — continued to grow more popular in cities across the country, with competitions like the Drew League in Los Angeles regularly drawing hall of fame NBA players to match up against streetball legends and college stars. Houston’s competition, the Nike Houston Pro City league, was no different.
Williams’ nonprofit, the No Excuses Foundation, took over the pro-am in 2016 and renamed it the No Excuses Pro League. This year, it added a women’s league to the competition, which also features Houston natives who have gone overseas to play professionally. “It’s good to see my hard work pay off,” Phillips said with a smile. “Whatever you do when you’re training, during your off time when no one’s around, it’ll show out eventually.”
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