Rucker Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rucker Park (http://www.therucker.com) is a basketball court in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard across the road from the Polo Grounds site, in the Harlem neighborhood.[1] Many people who played at the park achieved a level of fame for their basketball abilities, and several have gone on to play in the NBA.
Rucker was featured in the film Gunnin' For That #1 Spot.
Rucker was also the filming site for the AND1 mix tape series until the more recent tapings at Quaker Ridge School in Larchmont, NY featuring the Quaker Ridge Posse.
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[edit] History
The court is named after Harlem teacher Holcombe L. Rucker, who started a basketball tournament in 1950 at the very same court in order to help less fortunate kids stay off the streets and aim for college careers.[1][2]
[edit] Notable Rucker Park players
Although many professional basketball player have played at the court after gaining prominence, many developed their basketball skills at Rucker prior to becoming notable in the sport. These players include, but aren't limited to;
- Pee Wee Kirkland
- Earl "The Pearl" Monroe[3]
- Wilt Chamberlain[4][3]
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar[2]
- Connie Hawkins[5]
- Julius Erving[2][3]
- Earl "The Goat" Manigault
- Nate Archibald[2]
- Kenny Anderson[5]
- Jamal Mashburn[1]
- Allen Iverson
- Stephon Marbury
- Sebastian Telfair
- Joe Smith
- Terry Dehere
- Malik Sealy
- Lance Stephenson[5]
- Kevin Garnett
- Rafer "Skip to my Lou" Alston.[6]
- Jamaal Tinsley[7] [1]
[edit] Rucker Hall of Fame
[edit] Rucker park in video games
The court appears in the videogames NBA Ballers, NBA Street, NBA Street Vol. 2, NBA Street V3, NBA Street Homecourt (as downloadable content), NBA 2K7, NBA 2K8, NBA 2K9 and FreeStyle Street Basketball as a playable court.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d http://www.harlemlive.org/community/parks/ruckerpark/ History in the Making at Rucker's Park
- ^ a b c d DeMasio, Nunyo. "BASKETBALL; Carrying On an Asphalt Legacy", The New York Times, August 21, 1995. Accessed October 6, 2007.
- ^ a b c Mallozzi, Vincent M. (June 24, 2007), "His Eyes Have Seen the Glory of Rucker Park", The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/24/sports/basketball/24cheer.html
- ^ a b "Connie Hawkins: Thoughts on Wilt". http://www.nba.com/suns/news/wilt_memories.html#hawkins. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ^ a b c Zengerle, Jason. "Empty Garden: Why did New York stop growing basketball stars?", The New Republic, April 15, 2009.
- ^ Popper, Steve. "PRO BASKETBALL; Nets Win, but Challenging Trip Awaits", The New York Times, January 18, 2003. Accessed October 7, 2007. "With the Rucker Park legend Rafer Alston now the biggest attraction for Toronto, the Nets' only moments of suspense came when they attempted to compile their own mix of highlights."
- ^ Jamaal Tinsley Interview, Inside Hoops, January 7, 2005. Accessed October 7, 2007. "InsideHoops.com: In your high school years, out of the gym, which parks were you playing at? Jamaal Tinsley: Everywhere. West 4th. 68th, the Pro-Am tournament. Rucker. Soul in the Hole. That's it, mainly, in New York City."
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rucker Park |
- http://www.therucker.com
- Courts Of The World Court profile of Rucker Park basketball court
Coordinates: 40°49′46″N 73°56′11″W / 40.829564°N 73.936465°W
