King of the courts: Rucker Park defends its streetball crown
VIDEO - Heralded as the birthplace of street basketball, the park has roots in the 1960s. Now it's the proving ground for basketball players everywhere...
Glass backboards, leather chairs for the bench, a full surround system complete with a Jumbotron — it’s not what you’d expect from an outdoor basketball court. Then again, Holcombe Rucker Park is anything but normal.
Heralded as the birthplace of street basketball, the park has roots in the 1960s. Now it’s the proving ground for basketball players everywhere. Every summer the park plays host to the Entertainer’s Basketball Classic.
“It started with the college players. Now got guys like Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Kevin Garnett and Joe Smith — guys that were in the league and they wanted to come back here and prove that they could still run with the regular average guy even though they were getting a million dollar salary,” said EBC President Greg Marius.
At Rucker, the crowd decides whether or not a player earns his stripes. “The crowd will definitely let you know,” Marius explained. “You cannot come in here and do an average layup. It better be some crazy move on somebody, a great steal or a great block, or they’ll boo you out the park.”
The reputation of the court’s flashy style and NBA caliber talent level attract celebrities from all over. Everyone from Beyonce to Bill Clinton have made the trek to the 155th street court.
Now, that the World Basketball Festival is here in New York, Rucker Park and the EBC is looking to take its game international as well. The blacktop will play host to an international game this weekend.
It’s just the next chapter in a storied history.
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