Since Nike launched its Ballers Network, a lot of active ballers and activists went frustrated seeing the lack of possibilities and evolution of the platform. Nike filters everything and the information is provided by some magazines in the few countries represented. Obviously we need more than a small Facebook application, many of us had this idea of identifying all the best basketball courts on earth, websites like Basketsession.com in France already made a tremendous work on the French scene, and a couple of other websites started to list some playgrounds.
yesterday’s game was a night to remember at together we chill! major electricity among the crowd and players. thrills & chills in bunches. the first game of the semi-finals saw kareem reed’s & a-butta’s squad “piff unit” go up against the talented youngsters from “t.o.s.”. an incredible energy spread from the court, as each move by harlem’s own kareem “big game” reid and adrian “a-butta” walton was celebrated by the hyped crowd. piff unit lead by 10 til the end of the 4th quarter, but t.o.s. hustled back into the game with ferocious full court d – and came up with some valuable possessions. piff unit was still ahead by one point (78:79) with just 25.3 seconds left on the clock. kareem reid sliced thru the paint and finished with a beautiful teardrop, bucket! 78:81. then t.o.s. got fouled in traffic but only connected once from the charity stripe. but t.o.s. hustles up the rebound with just 5 seconds remaining. one pick for the point guard, get some space behind the three point line, throw a prayer, bottom of the net! it’s a wrap: 82-81 comeback victory for t.o.s.
next semi-finals tonight at 6pm: don’t miss it at together we chill (119th between 2nd and 3rd avenue).
That’s a good thing when you’re doing tourism, you always find some cool playgrounds, especially in New York. The other day I was lucky to fall on this beautiful court on the Hudson River park. A brand new playground with a nice view on the New Jersey skyline, what else ?!
People already told me the competition over there wasn’t that good. That’s why we’re gonna try to bring the players there tonight.
For those available tonight from 8pm to Midnight , come over the court for some action.
Court is located on Canal Street and West Side Highway, you can’t miss it.
I already introduced Samy Ameziane aka ” Le comte de bouderbala” on bouncemag.com. But recently a documentary has been made about his atypical career, mixing basketball and stand-up comedy shows.
“Bring your game, not your name” , a simple statement printed on dozen of tees, summarizing well the philosophy that was reigning around the 7th edition of the Quai 54. Still sponsored by Jordan Brand and Foot Locker, the biggest intertionnal streetball competition came back this year gathering more than 5000 people on two days with the usual mix of strong basketball, Hip Hop entertainment and some unexpected surprises.
The 5th Edition of the “Basket Fever” 3×3 contest took place last weekend in St. Quentin, France on Sunday. Around 100 players fought for the 1st spot in several contests which included a 3×3 championship, three-point shootout, and more. The event’s highlight was the dunk contest, of course. The competition featured some impressive local dudes and the legendary Slam Nation flyers. Kevin Lescot aka “Da Phenomenon,” who now plays in third-division Italy and has been touring with Slam Nation since age 17, won the contest with dynamite jams. The best was his unique version of the “cartwheel tomahawk.”
Back in 2008 some students from SupInfocom Arles (South of France) reached out to me about a special project built around streetball legend Earl “The Goat” Manigault and Rucker Park. From the Hoop is a short 3D movie inspired by his life on the streets of Harlem. In the short, Earl tries to escape his fears and malaise embodied by two satanic ballers. The chase ends up in the “holy place” of Rucker park where the Goat is challenged on the court by his two assailants. It becomes a furious battle for the small guard’s life as he reaches his salvation thanks to his basketball skills.
Kenny “The Blenda” Rodriguez and the Harlem Globetrotters have been invited to the biggest TV show in France : Le Grand Journal on Canal + channel. After a small introduction of the crew and some questions, the fellas from the Globetrotters have shown their skills in front of millions of French viewers. As usual, a journalist asked “is it hard to spin the ball on a finger ?”, Kenny Rodriguez answered practicing the trick on the interviewers fingers.
French ballplayer Kevin Couliau a.k.a. "Whatever" has a unique vision. His career started with sneaker reviews on www.basketsession.com; he then took part in the launch of France's b-ball freshness Reverse Magazine. Always on the move, he photographs European streetball for www.Asphalt-chronicles.com and www.Freshoops.com. A long-time contributor to Bounce's print issues, KC still finds time to put down the lens and pen and go to the hole!
