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Vecsey’s never-wavering interest in every slice of basketball history is genuine. Early in his newspaper career, he was in the right place at the right time, recognizing the significance of Harlem’s Rucker Tournament in the early 1970s. Vecsey coached tournament-winning teams at Rucker Park in the 1970s and ’80s, teams featuring Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Charlie Scott, among other pros. This week, Peter paid tribute to Carl Green, a former Harlem Globetrotter who helped him immensely in gaining rapport with pro players. Green passed away a few days ago at age 89. Rucker Park was a relationship-building, career-defining investment of time. A huge investment that paid off. For example, Green and Dr. J gave Vecsey recognition and bestowed gravitas on him in front of all the players or in small settings.
Speaking at Fanatics’ inaugural Merch Madness Fan Gear Giveaway in Harlem, New York, on Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell explained his excitement for Emoni Bates’ arrival in Cleveland. “I’ve known him for a little bit, so I’m excited to get him in Cleveland,” Mitchell told Fox News Digital of the 6-foot-9, 190-pound forward. “He’s got a lot of talent, man. A lot of talent. He’s going to be able to help us for sure.”
Retiring opened up other opportunities for Chamberlain. He bought real estate. He owned a club in Harlem, Big Wilt’s Smalls Paradise. He remained a visible icon in television ads and billboards. He ventured into cinema in the 1970s and ’80s and ultimately took on the role of Bombaata in the 1984 movie classic “Conan the Destroyer,” starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was always in the news post-NBA, whether it involved his charisma or his famous (or infamous) claim to have slept with 20,000 women. Basketball wasn’t shelved, either. After playing for the Lakers, Chamberlain chose to sign with the San Diego Conquistadors of the American Basketball Association for the 1973-74 season. A lawsuit by the Lakers, however, blocked Chamberlain from playing, as he reportedly owed an option year on his NBA contract. A judge restricted him from playing for the Conquistadors, but he was allowed to coach the team that season.
Tyler Herro and his girlfriend Katya Elise Henry are a family of four. The Miami Heat guard and the fitness model welcomed their second child on Thursday, sharing on Instagram that they named their son Harlem. “Welcome to this big beautiful world Harlem,” the 28-year-old Henry wrote on her Instagram Story, including a photo of her holding their newborn boy in her hospital bed.
“I’m born and raised in Harlem, but we’ve always had that strong African background,” Bamba said. “We never strayed away from who we really were as people. And my family was big. I was blessed to grow up with my mom and dad, but I have two brothers and three sisters. Two of my sisters, I’ve never known. They were in Mali, but the rest of us were all in Harlem and we grew up there and we ate African food. We also ate American food. So, it was just a true assimilation of both cultures. “Your parents always tell you these, not necessarily folk tales, but they tell you these stories about your grandfather and your uncles and everything in Africa. So, I thought that was pretty cool. But I didn’t really embrace my African heritage until my mid-teens.”
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He was transported to Rikers Island pending his next court date, but made bail and was released on Wednesday, records show. Hours later, he was arrested again. The ex-baller was taken into custody at Harlem’s 32nd Precinct stationhouse for a 2020 robbery, police said.
A college basketball player was killed and eight other people were wounded Monday in an early-morning shooting at a gathering in Harlem, New York City police said. Officers responded around 12:40 a.m. to reports of a shooting on a footpath along FDR Drive and found several people wounded. Other victims went to hospitals on their own, officials said. Darius Lee, a senior at Houston Baptist University in Texas, was killed, the university said. He was 21.
Normally when a basketball player is “in the paint,” it means they’re posted up under the basket and ready to score. But on Monday, Brooklyn Nets player James Harden took to a school playground in Harlem with actual paint in hand. Harden was there to support Publicolor, a group that helps transform the lives of middle and high school students in New York City. “Every day isn’t perfect, we are human. Keep pushing and fighting and stay focused on school. Good things will happen,” Harden told a group of students at PS 149.
Julius "Dr. J" Erving was among several basketball legends who turned out Saturday afternoon for the ribbon cutting and reopening of the newly renovated Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park in Harlem. The NBA Players Association teamed up with the city parks department for the renovation. The court's pavement was leveled and repainted, the baskets were replaced, the bleachers redone and a new state-of-the-art scoreboard installed.
The National Basketball Players Association, in partnership with NYC Parks, will renovate the Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park in New York City's Harlem neighborhood, the players' union announced Thursday. In a project funded by the NBPA, the renovation of the iconic court includes repairing and leveling the pavement, the replacement of bleachers, backboards, baskets and the scoreboard, the addition of team benches and repainting. The backboards and baskets will be custom-made and provided by Spalding.
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"We are incredibly honored to be entrusted with the renovation of Rucker Park," NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said in a statement. "The Rucker is legendary in the basketball world. Many of our past and present members honed their skills and established their reputations on this court. Through this renovation, we aim to preserve the rich history of the park while ensuring that future generations of players -- and the Harlem community as a whole -- can further enhance its incredible legacy."
The Harlem native said his dreams felt more attainable after he watched Barack Obama elected president in 2008. Bamba, just a fifth grader at the time, wrote a letter to President Obama along with his classmates. "I was so happy that history was made. Not so many times you wake up with an African American president. My family, friends and teachers were so happy and my principal cried. President Obama, you encourage me and all of America to follow their dreams. We could be anything. You opened a door to everyone," the letter read, in part.
Bill Oram: Today in Harlem, LeBron James surprised a group of teens as part of a partnership announcement between Lyft and the YMCA. These kids get free access to bikes for a year. Can’t get enough of their reactions when LeBron walks into the gym.
Today in Harlem, LeBron James surprised a group of teens as part of a partnership announcement between Lyft and the YMCA. These kids get free access to bikes for a year. Can’t get enough of their reactions when LeBron walks into the gym. pic.twitter.com/nzwT0wiGZI
— Bill Oram (@billoram) January 21, 2020
Bamba, a rookie center from Harlem, has a new home in Orlando and a new job with the Magic, who will play the Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. He is seven feet tall, with room to grow. He wants to develop a consistent outside shot. He wants to become one of the league’s sturdiest defenders. But he also has ambitions that go beyond basketball, and he wants to do things his way. “One thing that drives me crazy,” Bamba said during an appearance on “The Shop,” a real-talk show from LeBron James on HBO, “is when people tell me that I sound good for an athlete.” He continued: “They be like, ‘You don’t sound like you from Harlem.’” What, he wondered, is that supposed to mean?
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