Curtis Malone’s Basketball Power Broker Rise, Fall and Attempted Return

A force in Washington basketball

For two decades, from the 1990s through the 2010s, Malone was a central figure in Washington, D.C.’s basketball scene. His Amateur Athletic Union program, DC Assault, was regarded as the area’s top program and among the country’s strongest.

DC Assault won national championships and helped players reach the McDonald’s All-American Games, major colleges and the N.B.A. Malone built a reputation as a powerful presence in youth basketball.

The collapse of DC Assault

In 2013, federal agents raided Malone’s home and arrested him on drug-trafficking charges. Investigators found that while leading DC Assault, he was also overseeing a large cocaine and heroin operation.

The operation moved millions of dollars’ worth of drugs each year. Malone said his alias was Whitey, and the scandal brought intense media attention and a prison sentence.

A return to the game

After prison, Malone initially expected to start a business unrelated to basketball. He did not think he would return to the sport, given how his career had ended. But he missed the relationships and routines of the basketball world and now wants back in the game.