What began as a small basketball tournament with three to four teams has grown into a must-attend event in Odessa during the summer.
This Friday and Saturday will mark the 43rd edition of the Danny R. Wright Juneteenth Basketball Tournament.
The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Woodson Boys and Girls Club.
Saturday’s games will start at 9 a.m.
The tournament is a part of the Black Cultural Council of Odessa’s Juneteenth Celebration.
Wright is excited to see the tournament still taking place each year.
“It’s just a good time,” Wright said. “We’ve been doing this for so long. We have kids that weren’t even born when this tournament started that are playing in it. It’s certainly a treat for me. …”
Basketball players from each level, whether it’s high school, college or pros, will often come back to play in the tournament.
“You have some of the ex-players, ex-college players and ex-high school players that participate,” Wright said. “Those guys have grown up and become fathers and leaders of our community and now they’re planning to play in the Juneteenth tournament. The same tournament they watched as kids.”
The tournament started when Wright and a couple of friends who played basketball decided to put together a small tournament.
“I think we had about three or four teams,” Wright said. “It grew from there. Since then, I’ve been able to keep it going myself. … Now, I referee the games. I enjoy the guys coming in and competing.”
Around 8-10 teams will be competing in this year’s tournament which features a double-elimination format.
“We give out MVP, Offensive Player of the Tournament and a Defensive Player of the Tournament. We give out an all tournament team and a team trophy. It’s a winner-take-all. It’s an old-school basketball tournament. It’s a double-elimination tournament. If you lose two, then you get to watch the rest of the tournament. We keep it competitive and it’s fun watching everyone get after it.”
Guys like Larry Johnson, Moochie Norris, Craig Ehlo and Mark Davis have played in the Juneteenth Basketball Tournament before.
Other players from Odessa that have returned to play include Richard McCalop and Andrew Maxie.
However, what stands out most for Wright about the Juneteenth Tournament is that it’s often a reunion.
“The tournament brings a lot of guys back to the Permian Basin who don’t live here anymore,” Wright said. “It gives them a chance to come back. It gives them a chance to talk about old times, and in the meantime, watch a little good, competitive basketball. … It’s a good time. Sometimes the juices will start to flow and it becomes war in there, but the reason for the tournament itself is for fellowship and reunion and rejoicing as well as celebrating each other’s success.”
In addition, the sixth annual 35 and Older Legends Juneteenth Basketball Tournament, starts at 1 p.m. June 18 at the Woodson Boys and Girls Club.
