Playgrounds of NYC fostered NBA superstars
NEW YORK – Bernard King remembers the rugged battles under the basket, trading elbows and shoves for a precious rebound.
Every possession was important because losing meant leaving the court.
King learned to play on blacktops in Brooklyn, where reputations are earned and nothing’s given.
“Sometimes,” the former Knicks star forward said, “playing the game on the playground was tougher than playing in the NBA. At least in the NBA you had the benefit of an official.”
This weekend’s All-Star celebration, which culminated with the Western Conference’s 163-158 win over the East on Sunday night, was not only a chance for the league to honor the game’s current top players but to pay homage to this city, where the sound of a basketball bouncing on pavement is part of the soundtrack of so many lives.
Before Sunday’s main event in Madison Square Garden, “the city game” was celebrated in all five boroughs – Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island, as New York welcomed the hoops world onto its home court.
From famed Rucker Park in Harlem to the outdoor courts near King’s home in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Projects, basketball connects New Yorkers.
During the annual “Legend’s Brunch” honoring some of the league’s biggest stars, King and other New York hoop icons such as Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Nate “Tiny” Archibald, the only player to lead the NBA in scoring and assists in the same season, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Chris Mullin and Kenny Smith told stories of pickup games on New York’s concrete courts.
Archibald remembers people climbing trees to watch outdoor games between his team and Erving’s.
“We thought the only game was the New York game,” he said.
Mullin grew up idolizing Frazier, the Knicks’ flamboyant point guard known as much for his outlandish outfits as his silky smooth jumper.
“I wanted to be Clyde Frazier,” Mullin said. “I wanted suede Pumas.”
Mullin recalled taking the subway uptown from Brooklyn so the slow, left-handed white kid with the deft shooting touch could test his game against black players.
“They would meet me at the train and walk me to the park,” said Mullin, a 16-year NBA veteran and member of the original U.S. Olympic “Dream Team.”
“After the game, they would walk me back to the train. Then, when I started winning games they left me alone and I got to hang out in Harlem by myself.”
Mullin attended Power Memorial High School, also the alma mater of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NYC legend who went on to become the most prolific scorer in league history. Mullin said that seeing Abdul-Jabbar’s retired jersey in the school gym each day inspired him to shoot for the stars and play pro ball.
“It was a dream, but it was also a reality,” he said.