11/07 - Playground Legends in the Making at Rucker Park
A bus stopped at 155th Street and Eighth Avenue one Saturday afternoon in Harlem, New York, dropping off dozens of tourists at what is probably the world’s most famous asphalt arena. ‘’Asphalt’’ because New York already has ‘’the world’s most famous arena’’ in Madison Square Garden anyway. You know, the ONLY place where those godforsaken New York Knicks play at… BEFORE they stink like a goddamn rat stuck inside Oprah’s oh-so-sexy leggings.
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Gregory Marius, the chief executive of the Entertainers Basketball Classic, was soon holding court at Rucker Park, regaling visitors with stories of the great games and colorful names that have filled his summer tournament thepast 25 years.
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‘’We’ve come a long way,’’ he told the crowd. Many were taking pictures of the magical, windswept stage located across the street from the site of the Polo Grounds, where a housing complex now covers the same ground that Willie Mays once did for the New York Giants.
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From the 1950’s to the late 1970’s, NBA basketball stars like Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving and Nate Archibald did battle in Rucker Park with their playground counterparts, legends of the blacktop like Jumping Jackie Jackson; Joe Hammond, known as the Destroyer; and Richard Kirkland, nicknamed Pee Wee.
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By the early 1980’s, Marius built upon the pro-versus-playground concept, adding a hip-hop soundtrack, recruiting corporate sponsors and using high-profile celebrity coaches like P. Diddy, Fat Joe and Jay-Z from the music world.
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No, they haven’t tried getting System of a Down there. They never have and they never will.
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Will Rucker Park be the future hub of young talents for the NBA? Bet on Bodog for more betting odds today.
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‘Been gone for a while. ‘Needed a break from… Well… Those Manny Pac… Nah… Ain’t goin’ to start that one again… Well, the new season of J.J. Jack’s ish is here so buckle up your seatbelts.