by Colby Ambeault, special to NY Sports Report
On March 18th, the Ones Basketball League (OBL) and its founder, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, announced the second phase of the league, with “OBL: Battle of the Cities.” In this second phase, players will be competing for their respective city’s glory, rather than their own, and will be led by a pillar of culture in their city.
Celebrities and Hall of Famers like Vince Carter (NBA Hall of Famer) – Team Orlando; Quinn Cook (two-time NBA Champion) – Team Washington, DC; Tim Hardaway Sr. (five-time NBA All-Star) – Team Miami; Jadakiss (recording star and basketball insider) – Team New York; Larenz Tate (actor, producer, and basketball aficionado) – Team Chicago; and John Wall (five time NBA All-Star) – Team Raleigh; will be given the opportunity to own a team along with two other coaches who will represent Team Atlanta and Team Baltimore.
The first tryout for “OBL: Battle of the Cities” was held on Monday in Midtown, New York City, at Lifetime Sky. In attendance were McGrady and Jadakiss. Before the tryout officially started, McGrady made it clear that the highlight of this second phase was to give people an opportunity to own a team:
“When you invest into the Buffalo Bills,” he explained, “and you look around, and you don’t see too many people that look like you, you want to break that opportunity for guys that look like you as well.”
The inclusion and opportunity does not stop with the owners. McGrady wants to create a platform “for guys who have passions in one-on-one basketball.” He also wants to make sure that players who flew under the radar of the basketball scene get the opportunity to be seen again. This hope is not far-fetched:
“The first time I did this back in 2022, we had a guy go and play overseas–that opportunity was created for him. We also have a guy right now that’s on… a brand deal… with And1… We had a couple other guys get other opportunities overseas.”
Social media is the key factor highlighted by Tracy McGrady when it comes to finding players to try out for OBL, and when it comes to players gaining new opportunities. He explains that if they are good enough, they will be “found because of social media.” For Matt Kiatipis or “MK” (@mkiatipis on Instagram and TikTok), an OBL Alumni, the opportunity has found him, as he has reached 3.1M and 3.9M followers since 2022 on Instagram and TikTok, respectively.
Meanwhile, during the 2026 tryouts in New York, the hunt for an opportunity was made clear by all of the players there. Everyone wanted to make the New York team, and they gave their full effort. However, six athletes stood out.
Hegel Augustin – From Queens, New York. All-City selection in High School. Standout D2 career at Glenville State, where he averaged 21.2 PPG. Averaged 9 PPG at Prairie View A&M University (D1). Played overseas in Slovenia for the past two years.
Jawan Daniels – Attended Teaneck High School in New Jersey. Averaged 14.5 PPG throughout two seasons, also at Prairie View A&M University (D1), before sustaining a knee injury.
Darien Davis – From Longwood, New York. Attended Middle Island High School. Played at Mohawk Valley Community College (NJCAA Region 3) before focusing on family matters. Returned to college career and played at the now-defunct Dowling College (D2), where he averaged more than 18 PPG from 2012-15. Placed in third at the 2022 OBL tournament.
Tishsean Emmanuel – From Brooklyn, New York. Attended Nazareth HS. Played at SUNY Potsdam (D3), where he averaged 5 PPG.
Jonathan Grimsley – From Queens, New York. Attended Capital Christian High School. Played at Medgar Evers College, where he averaged 23 PPG his senior season.
Larry Moreno – From Brooklyn, New York. Attended Brooklyn Law and Tech High School. Played at St. Francis College, where he averaged 9 PPG across his four seasons there.
Out of these six players, two of them will be selected by Jadakiss to join Isaiah “Leaky Roof” Brown (OBL Champion, 2022; and team captain) to fight for their city. Best of luck to all of the athletes.
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