Jack Ryan, ESPN City Slam National 3-point Contest Winner 2005. Steve Woltmann/Intersport photo.
Jason Kapono just won his second NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest. I’d like to see him go up against playground legend Jack “Black Jack” Ryan, who graces our March Issue #14 Cover (below) and once hit 23 of 25 threes in the third quarter […]

Spring 2008, “Black Jack” on the cover. Jack Ryan’s playground resume speaks for itself and Bobbito Garcia’s dope cover feature on White Playground Legends is a must read. Keep reading and check out our Shoot Around section. We got Ron “The Teacher” Naclerio, and Germany’s Dime P. The features section blazes with R to the […]

Levy Mwanza, former captain of Zimbabwe’s National Team.
I’ve been playing at the L.E.S.’ 14th St. Y for almost two decades now. From ‘93 to ‘04, I literally lived right across the street and would be up in there eh’reday, yo. For real. It was my second home. In the mid-’90s, I was part of a […]

NYC playground legend Jack “Blackjack” Ryan was absolutely not known for his passing on the court (when you shoot 80% noone expects you to do anything but), however as an entertainer he definitely gets imaginative with his alleys. The final dunk in this medley is kind of sick:

In ‘02, I was on an audition set for a New Balance basketball commercial. A young Latino brother came up to me and said, “You’re Bobbito, right? I started doing tricks in a Basketball City League game, and the ref told me afterwards that I should meet you . . .”
As simple as it […]

Referees or not, there’s never a bad time to dribble for the joy of it. Bobbito Garcia photo.
What is the future of the And 1 and Ball 4 Real Tours? The summer of ‘07 wasn’t incredible for either, so we’re hoping our community continues to show support for these traveling showmen. Word is that the […]

2006 Still Hoopin 3 on 3 Champs featuring “Black Jack” Ryan (second from left) and Speedy Williams (fourth from right).
In 2006, playgrounds legends Jack Ryan and Speedy Williams teamed up to win a purse of $125,000 at the Still Hoopin 3 on 3. A number of former pros and D1 players, most notably Seattle Supersonic […]

In 1995, I ran with Coach Sid Jones United Brooklyn crew in West 4th (shirt above). It was like no other tournament, and i loved the experience. I grew up watching/admiring and playing with/against legends Clark and Mario Elie up at “Goat Park.” They were blood brothers who totally dominated “the Cage” on coach Bill […]