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Legendary Rucker Park receiving $435K renovation fund from NBA players

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Published  June 4, 2021 9:55pm EDT
Harlem
FOX 5 NY

NBA players provide facelift for Rucker Park

The NBA Players Association is offering to donate $435,000 to give Harlem's legendary Rucker Park much-needed renovations.

Harlem's historic Rucker Park is getting a facelift.

Some of the greatest to ever play the game honed their skills on the court located at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, including legendary stars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Julius Irving.

However, the current state of the famed basketball court has led the NBA Player's Association to approach the city with an offer to donate $435,000 dollars in renovations.

The repairs will include fixing the cracked pavement, along with the bleachers which were damaged by a recent winter storm, and upgrading the backboards and scoreboard with the goal of re-establishing the court as a state-of-the-art basketball venue.

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In addition to the renovations, the NBA player's association will also pay for a brand-new three-year staff position that will be based at the Rucker and at Jackie Robinson Recreation Center and will be in charge of coordinating the youth programs.

According to the NYC Parks Department, construction is on hold until mid-August so community groups can have their annual summer programs and the project is expected to be completed sometime in the Fall, just in time for the start of the 2021-22 NBA season.