Basketball Courts In New York

With the hundreds of outdoor basketball courts in New York City one could probably boast that we are the streetball capital of the world and not be bragging about it—it's just a fact. Some of the outdoor courts here, such as Rucker Park, or The Cage on West 4th Street, are so famous that they have been the subject of major motion pictures. But a word of warning-- if you're going to play on one of those courts you better have some serious hops, a silky smooth jumper, or be seven feet tall, or you are going to be embarrassed out there. Outdoor basketball games at the more well known courts are a public spectacle in New York, and there are many people, both locals and tourists, who will sit for hours watching the intense games being played there.

For the recreational player, you should have no trouble finding an empty court within walking distance of any location in the city and you're free to just bring a ball and shoot. If there happens to be a game going on when you're arrive, unless the players are wearing uniforms, it's probably not an organized basketball game, instead it's called pick-up. Games are usually played by 1's and the first team to 15 wins. After each pick-up game the players on the court usually stand around, talk, form into teams, and then the next game starts, although at some locations the "winners-hold-the-court" rule is in effect and you have to beat them in order to get them off the court. In that case, your team is then allowed to play the challengers waiting to play next.

Don't be surprised by these two relatively unknown facts about street ball in New York City. Half the time there will be no nets on the basketball hoops, which is traditional, and it makes shooting the ball much more difficult if you're not used to it. The second fact is that there are more and more women stepping on the court these days and mixing it up with the men—so you could find yourself guarding someone with a pony tail, baggy basketball duds, and an "attitude."

For a look at an extremely cool web site, completely devoted to promoting streetball culture in New York City, have a look at: www.basketballnyc.com. Basketball is a way of life in NYC. Whether you are on the blacktop on a hot Saturday afternoon, or in a Wednesday lunchtime game at a recreation center in December, there are games going on everywhere all the time.