New York City native and DJ Bobbito Garcia knows playground basketball. Garcia was a regular on the City’s courts growing up, and he co-directed the 2013 documentary Doin' It in the Park: Pick-Up Basketball, New York City. His tournament,
Bobbito Garcia’s Full Court 21 tournament runs through August 22 at the Goat Park (officially known as
Photo: Imani Vidal
Other than the 1-on-5 aspect, what would you say this tournament has that you can’t get at West 4th Street or Rucker?
Bobbito Garcia: It’s really exciting to watch, and it’s even more exciting to play. The joy of it is—you can’t come to New York and just play [in the tournaments] at West 4th or Rucker. Those are the hallowed grounds where every player around the world wants to play. [Editor’s note: when there’s not an official tournament game going on, though, you can definitely play on those courts. Just be ready for some stiff competition.] People yearn for that authentic New York experience. And in my tournament, you don’t have to try out. You don’t need to have a coach. You don’t have to be part of a team. As long as you register and get to the court early, you can play. I can’t get everyone on the court, but I get as many on the court as time allows.
Photo: Jon Lopez
Growing up, what was your relationship to playground basketball?
BG: I am married to the playgrounds. Particularly the Goat, because it’s named after Earl Manigault, playground legend, who actually mentored me as a kid. He was once heralded by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, as the best player out of New York that he played against. So Earl was a beacon of inspiration. Unfortunately, he never realized all his dreams—he became a drug addict and ended up getting incarcerated. It’s a very sad story, but he turned it around when he came out [of prison] and started the Walk Away from Drugs Tournament at the Goat Park, and I played in it. So me doing my tournament at the Goat is a quiet way of paying homage to Earl. His son, Darrin, still runs the Goat Tournament at that park—so there’s a lot of activity at the Goat on Tuesdays.
What should a visitor know about New York City as the world capital of hip-hop?
BG: I will say this for hip-hop fans who are visiting New York. The Goat is a unique playground in that it is one of less than a handful that’s hallowed ground just the same for the basketball community as it is for hip-hop. It’s also known as Rock Steady Park. The
So, growing up, I’m hanging out with Earl Manigault to play 5-on-5 and looking outside the fence, and Ken Swift and Doze and Frosty Freeze and all these legendary hip-hop [artists] are, if you will, dancing on the linoleum. Actually, the whole concept of dancing on linoleum came from Rock Steady Park. They used to break on concrete, and there was a furniture store that would put out garbage. So one day, the crew said, “Yo, let’s take a cardboard box. It’s huge.” And they realized they could spin on their backs a little faster, quicker and longer, and that whole phenomenon of cardboard led to linoleum breaking—that happened right there at that park.
When you walk in that entrance, there’s actually a plaque that the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation put up that commemorates the Rock Steady Crew as well as Earl Manigault. During our tournament, you’ll see a ton of tourists out there with their cameras taking photos and stuff. It’s really beautiful.