Exploring Life & Business with Shae Kelley of The 303League Denver Pro-Am

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shae Kelley

Hi Shae, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have been playing basketball seriously since the 7th grade. I went to East High School and won a championship my senior year, then continued my basketball career in college. I was recruited to CU out of high school but my coaches were fired so i decided to go the Juco route. I attended Northwest Florida state junior college for a year and a half, then I attended Old dominion University for two years. After I graduated I had an extra year, so I decided to do my 5th year at the University of Minnesota. From there I was drafted to the Minnesota Lynx and we won the championship my rookie season. After the WNBA season I started my overseas career in Poland. Fast Forward 10 years later I am still playing professionally overseas. 3 Years ago while I was in Italy playing the opportunity to bring back the Pro-am in Denver was presented to me. With a few phone calls and some planning, I made it happen. The 303 League is entering it’s 4th season this summer and I’m just working on growing and building the league. In the off season i have to do a lot of work from overseas which can be difficult, but I’m dedicated and this is something that I’m very passionate about and I really want to it to flourish. God gave me the vision and the responsibility to give back to the same community that helped make me into the woman and player I am today. The 303League is bigger than just basketball.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, the road has been everything but smooth. Finding funding, sponsorships, donations has been a struggle the first couple years. Also, we had issues with finding gym space for some of our dates during the summer. Also, finding a team that is willing to help, from working the scores table, photographers, videographers, ref’s, running the social media. There is a lot of work that goes into running something like this that you don’t realize until you start. The key is to realize that things take time and to keep going.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The 303League Denver Pro-Am?
I run a Men’s Basketball Pro-am. It’s a summer league where teams compete to win a championship over the course of 9-10 weeks. But the 303league is more than just basketball. We provide a safe place for the community to connect through sports. We offer vendors a place to come promote their small businesses, volunteer, and internship opportunities. We also provide numerous jobs and have a non-profit arm that is going to start youth programs and give back to the community. I am the CEO&Founder of the league and I currently play basketball overseas in Israel. The thing I’m most proud about is how we’re reaching the community. We still have a long way to go as far as growth and awareness of the league in the city but the community has been supporting it from year 1. I want readers to know that the Pro-Am is back in Denver, that it’s highly competitive, family friendly, and to come out and support.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I used to play the saxophone and I also took acting classes

Contact Info:

• Website: https://The303league.com
• Instagram: @303league
• Facebook: Denver Pro-Am
• Twitter: @303league
• Youtube: @The303League

Image Credits
KyShotIt, WeInThatMode