City/Game

Basketball in New York

February 14, 2020 - June 20, 2021

View from above a basketball hoop without a net, where a player is seen about to dunk a basketball through the hoop

1220 Fifth Ave at 103rd St., Open Sat & Sun 10–6, Mon, Thur, & Fri 10–5

The many stories of basketball in New York.

Basketball in New York is a saga set in schoolyards, street corners, gymnasiums, and packed arenas, where a shared sports culture cuts across race, ethnicity, class, and language. City/Game: Basketball in New York captures the excitement and evolution of this quintessentially urban game and the energy of the diverse New Yorkers who play it and love it. Relive historic highs and lows, and revisit legendary players like Knicks legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, WNBA trailblazer Nancy Lieberman, as well as current stars such as Queens-born Liberty star Tina Charles and the city’s latest headline player, Kevin Durant. From Rucker Park to Madison Square Garden, from jazz bands to sneaker stories, experience why basketball is truly the city game.

Bobbito Garcia, "Definition Jay from Above," 2010. © Bobbito Garcia

Collaborators:
●  Bobbito Garcia, Special Consultant
●  William C. Rhoden, Special Consultant
●  Marc Aronson, Consulting Scholar
●  Onaje X.O. Woodbine, Consulting Scholar

Advisory Committee:
Kevin Baker ● Thomas Beller ● Tom Bender ● Mike Deland ● Priscilla Edwards ● Jeffrey Gurock ● William Gibbons ● Dan Klores ● Tom Konchalski ● Josh Krinsky ● Jeff Lane ● Milton Lee ● Bob Lipsyte ● M. Dianne Murphy ● Theresa Runstedtler

Honorary Committee:
Val Ackerman ● Mel Davis ● Dr. David Hollander ● Jonathan Hock ● Terri Jackson ● Lucille Kyvallos ● Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee ● Nancy Lieberman ● Andrea London  ● Nicole and Branford Marsalis ● Steve Mills ● Michael Rappaport ● Barry “Slice” Rhorssen ● Michele Roberts ● Bill Stephney ● Kenneth Stevens ● Rod Strickland

Supporters

City/Game is made possible in part by ESPN, the NBA, the WNBA, Clara Wu Tsai and Joe Tsai of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty, Elizabeth R. Miller and James G. Dinan, the National Basketball Players Association Foundation, Con Edison, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and An Anonymous Family Foundation. Additional support provided by Crystal McCrary and Raymond J. McGuire, Estee Tobaly and Henry Swieca, Marc Lasry, Nathan Romano, Mitchell S. Steir/Savills, Heather and William Vrattos, the Honorable Diana Ayala - New York City Council District 8, Andrea London, and other generous donors.

Education programs featuring City/Game are made possible by the Gray Foundation.