The NBA offseason is a time of year so wonderfully ridiculous, a phrase has been coined to sum up the chaos that has fans consistently refreshing Twitter: Man...This league.
With the league's drama-filled offseason garnering more attention than many sports receive in season, it's no surprise basketball fans have become accustomed to following all the twists and turns by any means necessary, including seeking said news out by their damn selves.
There is no better example of that fact than one Miami Heat fan whose Twitter account has emerged as a universal source of all things NBA hot-stove rumor-related.
The man, the myth, the aptly named rising star of offseason rumor-mill reporting goes by Drew AKA @dru_star. He's managed to carve out a niche on social media, where he's best known for posting Heat news and updates, including the latest surrounding Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard's demand to be traded to the Miami Heat."I respectfully want to submit to folks in the industry who have been critical of Dame, shut the hell up. He gave Portland 11yrs. People acting like Dame is doing something wrong by telling you literally where he wants to go. It’s not a crime. He’s earned the right”@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/bZVtrtshyk
— Dru (@dru_star) July 24, 2023
Data specialist by day and a go-to source for every word uttered about the Heat's pursuit of Lillard by night, Drew has rapidly earned a reputation for AI-level acuity, firing off podcast clips and sharpie-circled screenshots of the most relevant Heat coverage. Whether the team is talked about on a podcast, television, blog, or next to a water cooler in a doctor's office somewhere in Portland, Drew's followers have come to expect a perfectly snipped bite-sized bit of the newsworthy conversation to make it to his timeline with the quickness.
While the rise of social media has undoubtedly changed the landscape of sports reporting, making it easier for fans like Drew to contribute to the conversation, actually taking that information, packaging it, and delivering it to others is what sets him apart from the pack, even from those journalists and reporters paid to follow the same news he's scooping."The beauty of social media is that anyone can contribute to reporting."
tweet this
For him, it's just a natural progression of sports reporting and how readily attainable information has become.
"It's never been easier to find information out there, reliable or not," Drew tells New Times. "There's lots of good content being put out through podcasts, Substack, newsletters, and lots of other places. The beauty of social media is that anyone can contribute to reporting."
As expected from his dedication to following every offseason move the team makes, Drew says his love for the Miami Heat runs deep. A fan since 1996, he witnessed the arrival of Pat Riley and Alonzo Mourning firsthand, the complete career of Dwyane Wade, and three championship parades in between.
He says his secret to staying on top of all the trade news isn't much of a secret at all: He rapidly consumes the content that matters most and aggregates what he feels is newsworthy to his followers. Drew's tweets have been viewed, shared, and aggregated tens of thousands of times this offseason alone, a startling amount of engagement for content coming from a fan simply sharing information available to all.
"I have no problem being on my phone for hours. I listen at 1.25x speed and keep my AirPods charged at all times," says Drew, who asked that his last name not be published for privacy reasons. "Podcasts that use timestamps in their show notes are very helpful. More pods should use them. I'm also up before dawn, so I get an early start to the day."
Drew's work hasn't gone unnoticed, as mainstream media members, both local and national, have seen what he's posted on Twitter and used it to add to the reporting or offer their thoughts. He says reporters have even asked him to sit in on the shows he's known for spotlighting — an invitation he hasn't yet accepted, though he may oblige in the future.“Dame was so loyal. Wanted to put himself in a good position…Probably just waited too long—Question is does it happen during the offseason or do we wait until Feb when they have more teams, more time. He may even expand his list of teams he’d be willing to go to”@ramonashelburne pic.twitter.com/ckkhaxvo6E
— Dru (@dru_star) July 27, 2023
Drew says seeing his content used as a jumping-off point for so many whose job is to cover the NBA has been surreal and gratifying.
"It's always nice having something I put out highlighted by people whose coverage I've been following closely for years," he says. "If I can contribute in some small way to the conversation, that's great."
Despite his significant impact on the Dame-to-Miami reporting landscape, Drew humbly considers his efforts a passion project. He says tracking down every bit of data related to the Heat's offseason and trade deadlines and sharing the info with fellow fans isn't new for him.
"I do what I do for Heat fans everywhere. It's something I've been doing for years now." Drew says. "With Dame Lillard demanding a trade to Miami, there's just been more attention on it this summer."
Drew predicts that while it may take a while, the future Hall-of-Fame candidate is bound to join the Miami squad.
"I think Miami gets their guy eventually, but I wouldn't be surprised if it took another month or so," Drew said. "I'm confident it gets done. I already repurchased season tickets a few weeks ago in anticipation."
