Playground Basketball Is Dying

The End Of Playground Basketball?
Elijah Muldrow, a contestant in the slam dunk tournament now dubbed the Entertainer's Basketball Classic at Harlem's Ruckers park, makes an attempt at the basket in New York Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003. Street basketball players have traditionally been the stuff of urban legend- amazing small crowds at asphalt courts in cities across the country, but unseen and unknown by most. That's changing now, as the exploits of these raw talents with colorful nicknames catch the attention of television executives, writers, rappers and entrepreneurs. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Elijah Muldrow, a contestant in the slam dunk tournament now dubbed the Entertainer's Basketball Classic at Harlem's Ruckers park, makes an attempt at the basket in New York Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003. Street basketball players have traditionally been the stuff of urban legend- amazing small crowds at asphalt courts in cities across the country, but unseen and unknown by most. That's changing now, as the exploits of these raw talents with colorful nicknames catch the attention of television executives, writers, rappers and entrepreneurs. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

AT RUCKER PARK in New York, people sat on rooftops and climbed trees to watch Julius Erving play. In Louisville, Kentucky, Artis Gilmore would pull up in his fancy car, still wearing his fancy suits, and just ball. Kevin Durant first measured the worth of his game on the D.C. playgrounds, and Arthur Agee chased his hoop dream in Chicago.

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