The Mobley Brothers Turned Backyard Brawls Into Basketball Stardom

The backyard one-on-one basketball games between the brothers Isaiah and Evan Mobley came to a screeching halt early in their high school days.

Throughout much of their childhoods, Isaiah, older by around 20 months, stood as the more imposing of the two. But in high school, Evan had caught up to him, at least in height.

Now, Evan did not want to just beat his brother once or twice on luck and hope. “Winning was cool,” he said, “But I wanted to win how I wanted to win. I wanted to win in a way that was solidified and not a close game.”

Sometimes, their father, Eric Mobley, demanded the ball and told them to go inside before the games got too physical. “Evan would be hot, just mad at the world,”…