NYC: Concrete jungle where hoop dreams are made
MANILA, Philippines - New York — “Concrete jungle where dreams are made… and where there’s nothing you can’t do.” And in the world of basketball, where bigger is always better, having limitless potential is a very, very good thing. Which is why in August of 2010, the isle of Manhattan proves itself worthy of all the larger-than-life accolades, becoming the epicenter of global basketball for four days of mega hooping, and my personal playground. So how huge are we talking exactly? Come, look.
Big Deal #1: “Nike X Jordan Brand X Converse = WOW.”
We all know Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse are part of the same family, right? But when have we ever seen the three converge and collaborate on one event together? Never. Until now, that is. Our three most reputable and trusted hoop brands join forces for the World Basketball Festival — a half-week celebration of the court sport, which kicks off August 12, in the busiest human traffic cross section in the universe: Times Square.
Big Deal #2: “They’re building a basketball court in the middle of Times Square?!”
You heard that right. A showcase game with members of the 2010 Team USA Basketball squad, amidst the famed flashing lights and billboards of 42nd Street — seriously, unlike anything you have ever witnessed. And as if that wasn’t enough, word on the streets is there’s a huge musical act to help launch the celebration with a certified NYC bang. Who? I’ve got my guesses, but you’ll have to ask me off the record.
Big Deal #3: “This is where Kobe came to earn street cred.”
Rucker Park: home to some of the globe’s most creative and skilled basketball players, a handful of whom have made it to the professional league. Yet going pro means little ‘round these parts, if you don’t have what it takes to hold your own within the chain-link fences that surround this basketball holy ground. August 13 and 14, the little Harlem treasure gets global, as the World Basketball Festival invites some of the top National Teams, and top international acts, to take over.
Big Deal #4: “Yo - USA vs. France, China vs. Puerto Rico FTW. New kicks, FTW. MSG… FTW!”
The grand finale on August 15 sees the national basketball giants go head to head in a preparatory glimpse of the FIBA World Basketball Championship in Turkey (to be held shortly after the New York showcase). Take note, it’s not just the team we’re getting a sneak peek at, but the new breed of Hyper Elite uniforms, and the already much buzzed about Nike Hyperfuse basketball shoe (which I took for a spin in a Rucker Park scrimmage — the shoe weighing in at 12.5 ounces — incredible, really). For those of you that need to feel it for yourselves, I’ve double checked with our home Nike base, and received the nod — they’re being released on our shores in August (retailing at P5,995). Oh, and did you read that properly earlier? This display of dopeness is all happening at Madison Square Garden.
Big Deal #5: “Nike fixed the court down the block. 3-on-3 after school?”
The World Basketball Festival also serves another purpose, as it debuts the United We Rise campaign — Nike’s initiative to “support youth programming and the installation and refurbishment of basketball courts” beginning with 25 Community Centers in New York City. Which is a big deal, simply because when kids are busy learning life skills playing basketball, they’re not doing anything else to unlearn them.
Big Deal #6: I’m invited!
Which is almost just as good as your best friend being invited, because I like to tweet a great deal, and it’ll feel like you were right there with me. Promise.
Really, though — I’ve spent enough time in New York to have a state ID, and in all the time I’ve frolicked in its streets, the city has never seemed more appealing to me than it does this August (and that’s a huge statement). A one-of-a-kind blend of all things impossible not to love: think about it. Passion. Celebration. Spirit. Teamwork. Unity. Innovation. Style. Energy. Creativity. Talent. Embodied by some of the most dedicated individuals on the planet, in the most dynamic city on earth — New York.
So next month, you’ll know where to find me: chatting up musical performers courtside at Times Square, craning my neck up to check the scoreboard at Madison Square Garden, dribbling a ball on the sidewalk in Harlem, dancing in the bleachers at Rucker, skipping down the street in my Hyperfuses, cell phone in one hand (tweeting, of course), and my World Basketball Festival entry pass in the other. Heaven.
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To get a play by play of the World Basketball Festival happenings this August, www.twitter.com/sarah_meier.
