155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem, NYC. That is streetball basketball’s home address. Originally opened on February 23rd 1956 as “P.S. 156 Playground” the park soon became the focal point of New York’s streetball basketball culture and attracted players from all over the tri-state-area and beyond.

Even professionals like Wilt Chamberlain, Connie Hawkins, Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar showed up to compete against the finest streetball players in the world.

In 1974, 9 years after Holcombe Rucker passed away, the court was officially renamed to “Holcombe Rucker Park”.  As part of the Neighborhood Park Improvement Program “The Rucker” saw a $423,000 renovation of the playground. To this day it stays the ultimate outdoor basketball court in the world.

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