The streetlights turn on, and the neighbourhoods are packed at every park, it a nostalgic feeling to most, this is NYC hoops at it's purest form. Every summer, the top NYC hoopers look to hone their new skills on the blacktops throughout the Tri-State; NYC hoops has bridged the gap between culture and the community. The beauty of this is that local communities have the opportunity to watch high-level talent in their own backyard; it doesn't get more authentic than this! Surprisingly, this has planted a seed, which has rendered the culture for NYC hoops. Legendary hoopers— from Lance Stephenson, Sebastian Telfair, Chris Mullin, Bernard King, & Stephen Marbury all made their names on NYC blacktops. One thing for certain that playing on the mean streets of NYC helps you develop toughness, grit, and swagger. For decades NYC has been the home of some iconic basketball players who've contributed to the Mecca, now NYC has been publicly acknowledge as the epicenter for streetball.

On summer days there is no place you would rather be than a park in NYC. All parks throughout the city hold an entertaining atmosphere; here basketball is more than a game it’s a soul of the culture. This summer, Nike has provided a great platform, which brings forth the top high school kids to play for their respective communities in hopes for the ultimate bragging rights. NY vs. NY features the six iconic NYC Parks: Dyckman (Manhattan), Lincoln Park (Queens), Gersh (Brooklyn), Tri-State (Manhattan), Watson (Bronx), and West 4th (Manhattan). The vision for Nike's NY vs. NY is to highlight the best talent in NYC by unifying the Tri-State elites under one umbrella.

“New York City basketball is the lynchpin between Culture & the community”

— Josh Benedek (Nike Media Relation Director)

“Our goal was to hand pick the best players from the tristate area to highlight their skills to NYC neigbourhoods where it matters most”

— Josh Benedek

From June through August each park will host games in hopes to compete for the trophy. Here's what makes this interesting, each park will have it’s sacred rules and regulations that cannot be changed until the playoffs, during the playoffs games will be followed by high-school regulations. Nike’s NY vs. NY will attract various players and celebrities in attendance each week, as well as provide skills camps for various inner city kids to develop their skills. It's always about helping out the local community and fostering positive habits for the kids to inherit towards their future.

“Through NY vs. NY we are empowering the high school basketball player and giving them a platform to showcase their skills. ”

— Josh Benedek

In 2017, Gersh was crowned the NY vs. NY Champs; lets see if they can defend their title. As a new chapter for NY vs. NY begins, after 6 weeks another team will be crowned and that park will win the ultimate bragging rights. NYC Will always remain the mecca of basketball. Here are game recaps from week 1 below:

Team Gersh 65 Team Dyckman 62

Team Lincoln 70 Team Tri-State 59

Team Watson 72 Team West 4th 58

Special Thanks: @nikenyc, @slam_hs , @dyckmanbasketball

Josh Benedek- Nike Media Relation Director

Photography: Nia Simone (@l0verebel), @nikenyc

Summers are one of the seasons that I look forward to every year, this is because of the opportunities that I create for myself through hard work, dedication, and perseverance. In the midst of my summers I often tend to spread my wings by getting outside my comfort zone (Toronto), to participate in the top summer Pro-Am’s. Every summer the top college/pro hoopers as well as NBA stars grace the courts to compete at a high level; with the emergence of social media a lot of buzz has been created around the summer hoop scene. Pro-Am leagues such as: The Drew League, Nike Dyckman Basketball, Chi-league, & The Crown League have created a unique platform for hoopers across any level to compete and unify the basketball community. I've been blessed over the years to compete in the top pro-ams. Now I will give some insight and talk about my experiences at these prominent pro-am leagues.

1. Drew League "No Excuse. Just Produce."

The Drew has been publicly acknowledged as the #1 pro-am in the world. Established in 1973, Alvin Wills brought his vision to life starting the league out with 6 teams, now in it's 45 year the Drew has 26 teams and over 300 hoopers that compete. The Drew always seems to deliver their expectations and entertainment for the league. NBA Perennial stars such as: James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, and Nick Young look forward to the Drew every summer as they put on a show for their hometown. Being from Canada I've never witnessed a league of this magnitude, so It was an honour to be apart of the history at the Drew this season. Every hooper should experience playing at the Drew one time in his/her career.

“I’ve never seen so much hoopers under one roof before in my life. College players, pros, and NBA stars.”

— Hussein.A (@twingq)

2. Dyckman Basketball "All roads lead to Dyckman"

All roads in life tend to lead towards different destinations, this destination happens to be in a special environment that is filled with a rich basketball culture that goes back in history. NYC has been known as the “Mecca of basketball.” Every summer hoopers across the 5 boroughs: (Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, & Staten Island) grace the blacktops with their presence in hopes to compete for national supremacy and bragging Rights. Over the past summer’s Dyckman has created an authentic buzz that has captured the attention of the top NBA Stars and pros. The Dyckman Basketball tournament aka “ The Red Carpet of Street ball” has provided the Washington Heights community with high-level entertainment that engages the NYC basketball community, a large reason is because you never know who might show up to Dyckman. D’Angelo Russell, Kyle Anderson, Lance Stephenson, Chris McCullough, Terry Rozier, and Isaiah Whitehead all participated in the Dyckman Basketball tournament. Mark this day in your calendars.... August 4th...Jelly Day!

“It’s crazy over 2000 people are out to watch a streetball game, man you gotta love NYC basketball.”

— Hussein. A (@twingq)

Nike Crown League "Claim Royalty"

The Crown League has been cemented as Toronto's premier pro-am; with the expansion of Canadian hoops the Crown League has leveraged their opportunity as well as the influx of top tier college/pro hoopers. In it's 4th year The Crown looks to add more of an exclusive look for the city of Toronto, Hopefully more NBA stars will participate this season. Kelly Olynk, Joel Anthony, Delon Wright, and Norman Powell, and Pascal Siakam are some familiar faces that competed at the Nike Crown League.

“It’s always a special opportunity to hoop in front of your hometown, there’s no better feeling as a basketball player.”

— Hussein. A (@twingq)

4. OVO Hoopfest

The Annual OVO Hoopfest takes place during the most highly anticipated week of the summer. The tournament is a week long, in which the top pros compete in quest of a championship banner. Last Year, Detroit Piston Guard Stanley Johnson stole the show dropping a tournament high 86 points vs. CIA Bounce. Team 1Love T.O. ended up capturing their 2nd OVO championship title. NBA players such as: Brandon Jennings, Frank Kaminsky, Dwight Powell, and Stanley Johnson participated in last year's tournament. Who will be crowned the 2018 OVO Hoop Fest champs ?

The Game of basketball has become universal and many cities are producing top tier players. Many have witnessed the development of summer pro-am leagues and I find it great to able to participate in different pro-ams and see what is unique about each specific one. If you like the "NYC Grit" then Dyckman is definitely for you, If your a fan of the up-tempo playing style then, The Drew is calling your name, and if you are about making a name for yourself then the Nike Crown league is where to go. Let's continue to step outside the box and explore the playing field across the boarder. Summertime is here... are you ready?

Thanks: @nikenyc, @niketoronto, @nikela

Pro-Am's: @drewleague, @dyckmanbasketball, @ovobounce

Photo by: Nia Simone (@l0verebel) , @niketoronto, @j.holder.photo, @rhyancorria, Mariam Konate (@candidbymk)

We Sell Mindset, Not Products

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