Rucker Park

Rucker Park 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. 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. The court appears in the videogames NBA Ballers, NBA Street, NBA Street Vol. 2, NBA Street V3, NBA 2K7 and NBA 2K8 as a playable court.

Layout/Appearance

The court is green with red paint. There are bleachers, but they are fairly run-down.

Important Players

The park has seen many NBA and streetball legends such as Pee Wee Kirkland, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Connie Hawkins, Julius Erving, Earl "The Goat" Manigault, Nate Archibald, and several others. [DeMasio, Nunyo. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0DE163DF932A1575BC0A963958260 "BASKETBALL; Carrying On an Asphalt Legacy"] , "The New York Times", August 21, 1995. Accessed October 6, 2007.]

Original Rucker Pro Tournament - NBA Players

This is an incomplete list:

*Julius "Dr. J" Erving - 76ers
*Kareem Abdul Jabbar - Bucks/Lakers
*Earl "The Pearl" Monroe - Knicks
*Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain - Lakers
*"Tiny" Nate Archibald - Kings/Celtics
*Bob McCullough - Royals
*Connie "The Hawk" Hawkins - Bullets
*Fred Crawford - Knicks/Bucks/Lakers
*George "The Iceman" Gervin - Spurs
*Dave Cowens - Celtics
*Tom "Satch" Sanders - Celtics
*Charlie Scott - Celtics
*Kenny "The Jet" Smith - Rockets
*Willis Reed - Knicks
*Ernie Grunfeld - Knicks
*Rolando Blackman - Knicks
*Dean Meminger - Knicks
*Calvin Ramsey - Knicks
*David Britton - Mavericks
*Kevin Williams - Spurs
*Mario Elie - Spurs
*Walter Berry - Spurs
*Dwayne "Pearl" Washington - Nets
*Wes Mathews - Lakers
*Lenny Wilkens - Hawks
*Charlie Chris - Hawks
*Ray Williams - Knicks
*"Sugar" Ray Richardson - Nets
*World B. Free - Warriors
*Tyrone Corbin - Hawks
*Louis Orr - Knicks
*Sam Worthen - Bulls
*Tom Lockhart - Bucks
*Cazzie Russell - Knicks
*Jim Bostic - Hawks
*Brett Thome - Spalding Academy
*Larry McNeil - Kings
*Steve Burtt - Spurs
*Jamal Mashburn - Hornets
*Rod Strickland - Heat

Original Rucker Pro Tournament - Globetrotters

*Billy Meggett
*Bobby Hunter
*Carl "Los" Green
*Floyd Lane
*Georgie Moore
*Herman "Helicopter" Knowlings
*Herman "Honey" Taylor
*Joe Barnes
*Lenny Williams
*Pablo Robertson
*Ron Jackson
*Walter Robertson
*Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain

Current and Former NBA players who have played at Rucker Park include:
* Rafer "Skip to my Lou" Alston. [Popper, Steve. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E1D81730F93BA25752C0A9659C8B63 "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, of the Indiana Pacers. [ [http://www.insidehoops.com/tinsley-interview-010705.shtml 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."]
*Kobe Bryant AKA "Lord of the Rings" was given this name due to the fact he is the only NBA player to play at 155th after winning an NBA championship.
*Kareem Reid, known as "The Best Kept Secret," led Fat Joe's Terror Squad team to Rucker Park's EBC championship in 2004. Although he never made the NBA, Reid has also won titles in the American Basketball Association with the Arkansas Rimrockers, and in the NBA Developmental League with the Asheville Altitude.

EBC at Rucker Park team owners

Past and present team owners include:
* Mike Street
* Danny
* Rich from Posse
* Jadakiss
* Ra
* Jim Jones
* Jason Silverstein
* Fat Joe

References

External links

* http://www.ebcsports.com
* http://www.myspace.com/TheREALRuckerParkLegends