Two-time NBA All-Star guard Baron Davis is the most notable basketball alumnus of Crossroads School For Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, California.
He was named Gatorade National Player of the Year in 1997 and led his school to win The Beach Ball Classic tournament in South Carolina when he was in high school.
Decades later, the former McDonald’s All-American is returning to the campus as the Crossroads School’s Boys High School Basketball Team hosts its inaugural Flight Club Invitational basketball tournament on October 28 and 29.
Flight Club recently announced a unique, multi-year partnership with Crossroads. The sneaker consignment store will produce exclusive jerseys and products for the team and coaching staff.
Flight Club is proud to announce the first-ever Flight Club Invitational, held at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences Sports Center in Santa Monica, CA.
Space is limited. Get your tickets now to guarantee your spot at the event.
Get tickets: https://t.co/II3xtU3o5A pic.twitter.com/eVZF2Gqx7L
— Flight Club (@flightclub) October 22, 2023
Davis will attend the Crossroads Sports Complex in Santa Monica as several nationally ranked teams are set to compete in this one-of-a-kind tournament.
Some of the players who will take the court include Bryce James (son of LeBron James), Alijah Arenas (son of Gilbert Arenas), Tajh Ariza (son of Trevor Ariza) and Mercy Miller (son of Master P). Other top prospects include five-star recruit Jason Crowe Jr. and four-star recruits such as Naas Cunningham and Emmanuel Stephen.
For The Win spoke with Davis to discuss the tournament, parenting two young children and his own sneaker collection.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
How do you think youth basketball has changed from when you played?
Davis: Now, we have a bigger and broader understanding of investing in the youth. I think corporations have gotten involved with NIL and people are now trying to figure out the best way to help amplify this new generation — what they’re doing as well as what they’re building as basketball stars and student athletes. There are far more resources and far more people who are willing to take chances and bring amplification to this generation of youth.
What is your involvement with this upcoming Flight Club basketball tournament?
Davis: I’m excited because finally, we get to have a tournament at our school. With this partnership with Flight Club, I think Crossroads has become a known-name school, particularly in basketball. This is the first year of the invitational and it should be super dope because all of the L.A. legends and legacy kids will be there. Shout out to Flight Club for investing in high school sports and bringing attention to these kids who will benefit from playing against some of these All-Americans. They are being responsible and doing the right thing for our basketball community.
I’m there as an ambassador to the school, to the brand and to these kids in their careers. That’s what makes me super excited. You’re seeing the next future college and NBA stars, so they can succeed and become a part of our industry. I think this tournament will be very different in terms of what you have seen from a production and from a content distribution standpoint. We’re really incorporating all of these narratives and storylines and with me, as a producer, we’ll create that. I think our visions are the same, we both want to bring sports, lifestyle and culture together. We know that hoops and sneakers and talent all fit together. We want to bring that to life.
This tournament includes so many sons of NBA legends. Is that surreal for you?
Davis: All of those dudes are my boys. Trevor Ariza, Gilbert Arenas and LeBron James all have kids playing in this tournament. For me, Trevor Ariza is like my younger brother. I can’t say he is my little brother because he is way bigger than I am. He went to UCLA like I did, and I know his story. I know his heart and his truth. To see him take those steps, I’m learning from him.
My kids are seven years old and nine years old. They get to see their big cousins play in high school and college and the league. It’s like an “each one, teach one” kind of thing. It’s like a big family, and it’s like an extension of what the NBA is because we’re a huge family. Basketball will always continue to grow. But it’s so nostalgic to see kids when they were adolescents and look up to their dads playing in the NBA, and now they’re coming in and making a name for themselves as well. It’s super fulfilling to see their legacies, and that’s where I get the most joy.
Are you coaching your kids or are you more hands-off with them?
Davis: I don’t know what to do! I try to be hands-on, but they don’t want me to yet. I’m just watching them and guiding them. I think it’s important that when they’re ready for me, I’ll step in and step up and be prepared for that. Right now, they are so young that we don’t really know what they love or what they want to do. I just want to really make sure that I’m a champion for whatever they want to do and if they’re ready for basketball, I’ll be there. My son keeps asking me if I carried an NBA team to a championship, and I have to tell him no, though.
What does your own sneaker collection look like these days?
Davis: I try and keep a nice little collection so my kids don’t clown me. I would say my sneaker collection comes from all brands, even young and independent brands. I’ve got a nice garage. I don’t have what people would think, though. I just like my specialty shoes and my daily walkers.
