Washington Park is named after the founder of the Eastside Shopper newspaper, now known as The Los Angeles Sentinel, one of the most respected newspapers in California. This park is also the gathering place for many of the NBA’s most popular players. The Drew League is one of Washington’s Park’s most popular programs. It is known throughout Southern California for attracting the NBA’s best players. In 2011, NBA players endured a lockout that allowed them to give more time to their local community and find other places to keep their competitive edge. Within the past year, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Shannon Brown, Amare Stoudamire, James Harden, Matt Barnes, and Trevor Ariza have stopped by the park to play basketball against the best in the community. The Drew league games are played each weekend May through August totaling more than 155 games each season.