Streetball games seem to take the form of regular basketball games, but demonstrate much less structure, rigour and systematic play-making (or maybe just organization in general). They rely much more on spectacular moves, crowd-pleasing play and some extras like an emcee being on the court with a microphone adding commentary. For a large part of the streetball audience the And1 tour provided the first exposure to what organized streetball both is and could be. But now it’s the summer of 66.
I don’t mean Bob Dylan’s motorcycle accident. I don’t mean Star Trek premiering on NBC. This is the summer when Kevin Durant scored 66 points at Rucker Park, a possible watershed in streetball history.
At present Durant isn’t having anything to do with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team he plays for in the NBA, because the league has locked-out its players in the absence of a new collective bargaining agreement. The entire NBA season, everyone acknowledges, is at risk of not happening. But Durant has been playing in streetball games at famous spots all over the US. And Harlem’s Rucker Park is one of the most famous street courts ever.
Durant showed up to play in what’s called the Entertainers Basketball Classic, and 66 points is the second-highest point total ever scored at an EBC game. Although Rucker Park was named after a tournament to benefit Harlem youth back in 1950, the EBC was started in the 1980s as a high-profile game featuring rap stars playing basketball. This brought the famous Rucker Park back into prominence even after the high costs of NBA salaries and insurance issues kept professionals from participating in games there. The ascendence of some famous streetball players into the NBA (including Rafer “Skip to my Lou” Alston, a two-time Toronto Raptor) has probably been a contributing factor to the resurgent interest the pros have had in Rucker Park. Kobe Bryant showed up one summer to play at the EBC (in the rain even) after having just won his third NBA championship. At Rucker he earned himself the nickname ‘Lord of the Rings.’
This summer, however, is showing us something different. The reaction from the EBC crowd as Durant drains shot after shot from behind the 3-point line says everything that’s needed to be said about how electric his performance was on that night. And it means a lot to get that kind of reaction at a place like Rucker Park, where even Wilt Chamberlain played. New York natives Chris Mullen and Kareem Abdul Jabar (then Lew Alcindor) played pick-up games there. (All three of those players are now in the Basketball Hall of Fame.) The enthusiasm generated by the spectacle at Rucker Park equals much more than just the excitement of the game. There is a sense of freedom and relief in all the joy. It feels like proof there can be some democracy to basketball.
Basketball has long suffered from tensions between the more stifling context of the legitimate, organized game (culminating in the NBA) and the untethered and less disciplined realm of street-level ball. It’s a unique thing when an establishment star shows up on a stage like the famous Rucker Park court. It’s a chance to showcase both the star player and the arena that he’s playing in. Kobe Byrant showed up to play in a Drew League game this summer (the Drew League is popular LA streetball league). Here’s a look at what he does.
It’s vintage Kobe Bryant. Taking control of the game when he needs to and winning it on a buzzer-beating jump shot, cold and precise as mathematics. It’s a little bit of proof that basketball can survive in various contexts. Seeing Kobe at a streetball game, relying on his usual tactics of excellence has the feeling of reading a perfectly-placed quotation in a book where you weren’t expecting to find it.
This past weekend there was a kind of all-star streetball game which featured the Drew League against the Goodman League (from DC). Durant has been playing for the Goodman League and he was the star attraction. Some rumours had it that Kobe would appear to play for the Drew League, and yet, even though that wasn’t to be, the game was still hyped as maybe the greatest streetball game ever organized. Durant led his team, which featured various other NBA stars including rookie standout John Wall, against James Harden (Durant’s Oklahoma City teammate) and other NBAers. And various all-star calibre streetball players from both leagues filled out the rosters.
The sensational Kevin Durant, if there was any doubt, won the game for the DC-based Goodman League. He thus captured the crown of being this summer’s basketball champion of the people. (Although, some honourable mention is due to James Harden who did try to guard him all game. He was also the one defending Kobe’s game-winner in the video above. Yes he lost to both Kobe and Durant, but so would everyone else on the planet. And he’s been playing absolutely amazing basketball on street courts all summer. He also has one of the only cool beards I’ve ever seen on a basketball player, and likely wears skinny jeans.)
David Stern: Take notice and be warned. The NBA commissioner has shown little willingness to compromise on the owners’ behalf and end the lockout. Durant’s streetball tour, meanwhile, must be planting the idea in the collective head of the NBA fan base that there will always be basketball available by other means than the big league. Kevin Durant is one of the very best players the NBA has to (loosely) call it’s own. As young as he is, he’s likely to be among the best of the best for many years to come. If basketball fans start to feel like they can really get all of the Durant they need and love by seeing him in arenas such as Rucker Park and the Goodman League, then that seems to add a potential bargaining chip to the players advantage.
