Dunbar High School launches Walt Wesley Summer League
A new tradition has begun at Dunbar High School as 16 local boys and girls basketball teams — including squads from Cape Coral and North Fort Myers — take the court for the first-ever Walt Wesley Summer League, honoring Fort Myers’ first NBA player, Walt Wesley, who passed away in March 2024 at the age of 79.
This special summer league was initiated by Dunbar High School boys basketball head coach and former NBA player Shandon Anderson, as a tribute to Wesley’s pioneering career and lasting impact on the sport.
“With Walt Wesley being a former NBA player and myself being a former NBA player, and having him pass last year, it just seemed like the perfect opportunity,” said Anderson. “For him to go through the things that opened up opportunities for me… he pioneered the modern-day basketball.”
The league not only honors Wesley’s legacy but also serves as a developmental platform for young athletes in the community. ECS girls basketball head coach Dwayne Donnell called it a fitting tribute: “What better tribute can you give to a man than to have a summer league named after him? There’s never been a league like this at the school before.”
“We have a lot of new girls, a lot of young girls, so to see how we gel together is pretty exciting,” said ECS center Nala Smith.
Games are scheduled and have been played every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the month of June, starting at 4 p.m. at Dunbar High School, located at 3800 Edison Ave., in Fort Myers.
The community is encouraged to attend, support the players and honor Walt Wesley’s enduring legacy.