WS Chronicle

Steve Nivens, commissioner of The League, has been patiently waiting on the perfect time to bring The League back to the Triad. After careful planning, his goal is to bring The League back to the W.R. Anderson Recreation Center this January.

Nivens does not have a confirmed date set in stone, because he waiting to see if there are any new COVID-19 restrictions based on the numbers. He is pushing forward with his plans to start the league in late January in hopes that the numbers continue to drop.

“I am looking to bring it back, because everyone has been in seclusion and barricaded for so long, we just need some fresh air,” said Nivens. “We are just trying to put a smile back on people’s faces. I just want to be a sigh of relief for everybody and have some fun while being safe.”

Throughout the pandemic, Nivens stated he was consistently receiving calls, texts and direct messages on social media from players and teams inquiring about the league. He was pleased with the number of people interested in playing in the return of The League.

“I had to create another account on Instagram just for the league, because of promotional purposes,” he said. “I have some new teams that have been reaching out and I know I will have my normal teams from Winston and Greensboro wanting to play in the winter league.”

Nivens has created one of, if not the premiere, adult basketball league in the area. From his start a few years ago, he has continued to bring out some of the best ball players around from the college and professional ranks.

“Competition wise, I think the level is going to be through the roof,” he continued. “The sponsors I have been connecting with to get my product out there has been unbelievable. I know they will take the competition to another level, because every year it has gone up and the teams that have been weak don’t come back, only the strong survive.

“I’m excited and ready to see what type of new guys we will have, because it’s a lot of guys that are still here that play ball overseas and guys that aren’t playing ball period because of the virus. They have all told me that they are ready for the competition.”

Nivens said he was not expecting The League to take off so quickly when he began a few years ago; however, he is not surprised because of all the hard work he has put in to making it successful.

“The work that I have put in, I was praying for it,” Nivens said about the success of The League. “I have definitely been putting in the work and Mr. Bryant (McCorkle) has been a blessing by letting me come over there to Reynolds Park.”

Since the creation of The League, there have been several other adult basketball leagues that have popped up around the Triad area. Nivens believes he has started a trend with his model, but feels his product will continue to reign supreme.

“I think I am, especially the way everybody talks about it and people just feel like they can do that,” Nivens said about The League. “It’s definitely a lot of copycats, which is why I call it The League, so when you are talking about a league, you are going to talk about The League. That is why I came up with The League and I took it from there.”

With the success The League has enjoyed, Nivens is contemplating branding the league in other areas. He is also planning to have a league for the female ballers at some point in time as well, due to the requests he has received.

Nivens has posted a few videos previewing the return of The League. Even with the pandemic in full swing, the response has been tremendous, he said.

“It was excitement and just guys seeing a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said about the response on the return of The League. “Excitement is really the word that the guys have been using and it definitely encouraged me to stay on my grind with The League, because I am touching a lot of people.”

For more information about The League, contact Steve Nivens at steve@joshhowardfoundation.com, on Instagram @theleaguenc, or at W.R. Anderson Recreation Center.