Greg Marius Court

Gregory Alexander Marius (1958-2017) founded the Entertainers Basketball Classic at Rucker Park in 1982 while he was a young rapper in the Disco Four. Initially organized as a tournament between rival hip-hop crews, the showcase connected basketball and hip-hop and built on Rucker Park's history as a place where neighborhood talent could play sports celebrities. Marius invited basketball stars to the weeks-long tournament, and the growing number of National Basketball Association players drew enormous crowds. In 1984 the tournament moved from Fred Samuel Playground, formerly Readers Digest Park, to Holcombe Rucker Park. Since its founding, National Basketball Association stars including Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Lebron James, and Shaquille O'Neal have played in the Classic, and in the 1990s Marius expanded the program to include entertainers such as Michael Bivins, Fat Joe, Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Mary J. Blige. Political and business leaders including United States President Bill Clinton and National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern also joined the crowds. After Marius died on April 22, 2017, following a battle with cancer, Gus Wells and Cordell Marius continued as co-commissioners of the Entertainers Basketball Classic. In June 2017 Mayor Bill de Blasio named Rucker Park's basketball court Greg Marius Court for the man credited with helping change the culture of streetball in New York City, and in 2021 the National Basketball Players Association fully refurbished the court.

New York, New York · United States