New on Sports Illustrated: National Basketball Players Association to Help Renovate Court at Rucker Park

-

The renovations include repainting the court, repairing and leveling the pavement, the replacement of bleachers, custom-made backboards and more.

View the
original article to see embedded media.

The National Basketball Players Association, along with the help of NYC Parks, announced plans Thursday to renovate the Greg Marius Court at the iconic Holcombe Rucker Park in Harlem, New York. 

The renovations include repainting the court, repairing and leveling the pavement, the replacement of bleachers, backboards, baskets and the scoreboard, and the addition of team benches on both sides of the court, according to a release.

Renovations will be completed by October and the park plans to reopen with a community event hosted by the players' union and other marketing partners. The reopening celebration will feature a ribbon cutting ceremony, youth basketball clinics and skills competitions, guest appearances from current and former players, an NBPA youth basketball game and a NBA 2K lounge. 

“The Rucker is legendary in the basketball world," NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said in the statement. "Many of our past and present members honed their skills and established their reputations on this court. Through this renovation, we aim to preserve the rich history of the park while ensuring that future generations of players—and the Harlem community as a whole—can further enhance its incredible legacy."

Rucker, a former Harlem school teacher and playground director in the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, created the first summer Rucker tournament in 1946 with the goal to prove leadership and give thousands of boys and girls and opportunity to achieve their college dreams. 

The legendary court is where several past and present players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant have played intense pick-up games in front of jam-packed crowds. 

“For decades, the Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park has drawn basketball legends, supported rising talent, and served as a source of pride for the Harlem community,” said NYC Parks Acting Commissioner Margaret Nelson. “We are thrilled to partner with the NBPA to reestablish this world-famous court as a state-of-the-art basketball venue."

More NBA Coverage:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA Draft Big Board 3.0: Top 80 Prospect Rankings

-
Image
Ranking the top 80 players in the 2021 NBA draft with the NCAA tournament in the rearview. View the original article to see embedded media. With three months until draft night and the NBA’s regular season winding down , the league at large has begun shifting full focus to the off-season. Players have until May 30 to declare as early entrants for the draft, after which point the predraft process will open up in full, leading up to the combine and lottery at the end of June . Our Big Board is long overdue for an update, and fully expanded out to 80 prospects as we all attempt to make sense of the big picture moving forward. As usual, the Big Board is primarily based on my personal evaluations from both live viewings and on film, in many cases dating back several years. The rankings also incorporate feedback and opinions I glean from NBA executives, scouts, and others around the industry. This is not a mock draft, and team fit is not considered, but it is also intended to be somewhat
Read more

New on Sports Illustrated: The Patriots’ Post-Brady Era Begins Now

-
Image
In Mac Jones, Bill Belichick drafted a Round 1 quarterback for the first time ever—and looks to usher in a return to dominance. Of course the first time Bill Belichick drafts a first-round quarterback, it’s one for whom he could get an unvarnished scouting report from good buddy Nick Saban —and without even having to do any draft-day maneuvering. Now, the post-Tom Brady era in New England really begins. The Patriots treated 2020 as something of a gap year, with a league-high eight opt-outs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a starting quarterback, Cam Newton, who didn't sign with the team until June. They were, for the first time in two decades, mediocre, but that 7–9 record bought them the ticket to a fresh start: the No. 15 pick, which they used Thursday night on Alabama QB Mac Jones. The oft-cited statistic that Belichick had never drafted a QB higher than pick No. 62—used on Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014—was inherently flawed, given that Belichick had Brady as a starter for 19 of
Read more

New on Sports Illustrated: NCAA Board of Governors Unanimously Votes to Extend Mark Emmert’s Contract

-
Despite recent controversy, the NCAA Board of Governors voted unanimously to extend Mark Emmert's contract through 2025. The NCAA Board of Governors unanimously voted to extend president Mark Emmert's contract through Dec. 31, 2025. The news was announced Tuesday as a one-line news item buried within a larger update after the board's quarterly meeting. He's the fifth president in NCAA history and has been in the role since 2010. Emmert previously held high-ranking roles at Washington, LSU, Connecticut and Montana State. His base salary is reportedly $2.7 million.  Within the announcement, the Board reaffirmed its commitment to updating name, image and likeness rules. Dellenger: Inside the Hidden Industry of Name, Image and Likeness and the Changing World for College Athletes Emmert came under fire after disparities were shown between the men's and women's college basketball tournaments this year, specifically the weight room. Prior to the public backlash,
Read more