Rolling Loud OTE player Naas Cunningham. Photo courtesy of Audible Treats/Rolling Loud.
A new, Los Angeles-based basketball team owned by Rolling Loud and Overtime Elite will make its debut in the upcoming 2023–2024 season. The international hip-hop festival and the league — a haven for 16–20-year-olds with pro potential — made the announcement this afternoon (October 12). Rolling Loud OTE will be the league’s first L.A.-based team. Its roster, revealed today along with the team’s announcement, features two top-100 NBA prospects from the Class of 2024: small forward Naas Cunningham and shooting guard Larry Johnson.
“Rolling Loud Co-Founders, Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif, have always worked to infuse basketball into the festival’s culture,” the company’s press release explains. “So, when Overtime Elite approached Rolling Loud to have its own Los Angeles based team, the pair jumped at the opportunity. It just made perfect sense for Rolling Loud — the brand could help create a viable amateur to professional pipeline for up and coming athletes in the Los Angeles area, which is home to the brand’s second flagship US festival.”