Led By NBA Players, Famed Rucker Park In Harlem Getting Major Makeover
Friday, August 27, 2021 at 01:30AM By Barry Janoff
August 26, 2021: The National Basketball Players Association said today it is partnering with NYC Parks to “completely renovate the Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood (155th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd).”
Funded by the NBPA, the renovation of the iconic basketball court, scheduled to begin today, will include the repair and leveling of the court’s pavement, the replacement of the bleachers, backboards and baskets — custom made and provided by Spalding — and scoreboard, the addition of team benches to both sides of the court, and the repainting of the basketball court.
The renovation Is scheduled to be completed this October.
The park is named in honor of Holcombe Rucker, a local teacher and a playground director for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Rucker started a basketball tournament in 1950 “to help less-fortunate kids stay off the streets and aim for college careers.”
The basketball court itself is named in honor of Gregory Marius (1958-2017), founder of the Entertainers Basketball Classic at Rucker Park.
The Rucker Tournament, held there for decades, attracted hoops players from New York and elsewhere, many of whom became either NBA or street ball legends.
Among those who have played at Rucker Park are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nate Archibald, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Connie Hawkins, Stephon Marbury, Earl Monroe, Chris Mullin and Kevin Durant.
Once the renovation is complete, the NBPA Foundation said it plans to fund and support the addition of a new recreation position to provide programming at the park and NYC Parks’ nearby Jackie Robinson Recreation Center.
The park will officially reopen with a grassroots basketball and community event hosted by the NBPA and THINK450 along with its marketing partners including Spalding, NBA 2K, Rucker Brand and Legends.
The NBPA has commissioned A$AP Ferg, renowned rapper and artist from Harlem, to provide a one-of-a-kind mural for the court.
Among other elements, custom NBPA x Spalding basketballs will be used during the reopening ceremony.
Legends, in collaboration with Rucker Brand — the clothing company founded by Holcombe Rucker’s grandson Chris Rucker — will create a capsule collection featuring apparel that is “inspired by decades of iconic and culture-defining moments at Rucker and celebrates past, present, and future legends of the historic park.”
The NBPA said there would be special guest appearances from current and former NBPA members "who have connections to the park and will join in celebration of its reopening."
"We are incredibly honored to be entrusted with the renovation of Rucker Park,” Michele Roberts, NBPA executive director, said via the organization. “The Rucker is legendary in the basketball world.
"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."