Ken Goldfield EBC basketball at Rucker Park. Local basketball star Malik Boothe shows his chops on the outdoor Harlem court. Harlem’s legendary summer streetball institution is taking its storied brand to Brooklyn.
The Entertainers Basketball Classic, which has been showcasing the best streetballers for more than 30 years at Rucker Park, will host a celebrity-studded hoops challenge at the Barclays Center next month.
The list of NBA players who will take part has not been released, but EBC Founder Greg Marius hinted it would include many of the NBA’s top-tier names.
“Guys that were in the playoffs,” Marius said, noting that the tournament has attracted Chris Paul, J.R. Smith and Queensbridge’s Metta World Peace among a long list of noted players who showed up at W. 155th St.
Bryan Pace/for New York Daily News Brooklyn rapper Fabolous will be the celebrity coach for the New York team. “If they miss this, they will be listening to people talk about this all year long,” he said of the three-game showdown.
The event will consist of celebrity-coached teams representing Los Angeles, Philadelphia, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia and New York. Each team will consist of three to five professional players and seven streetball players.
“It’s about creating rivalries,” said Chris Latimer, an EBC partner. “The celebrity basketball game model is kind of beat up. It’s lost a lot of its luster from years past.”
Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images Wale has been named celebrity coach of the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia team. Brooklyn rapper Fabolous will coach the New York team, and D.C. rapper Wale will lead the DMV team, organizers said. The two remaining coaches have not yet been announced.
Fabolous, Wale, and Detroit rapper Big Sean are among the scheduled performers.
“This Barclays Center event will take what we do every day in the summer for 2,000 people at Rucker Park to an unimaginable level at an NBA arena,” Marius said.
The EBC America Celebrity Basketball Challenge is set for July 27. To buy tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.
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