Harlem, NY, 2013.

Day after day in Rucker Park a huge show takes place: dozens of kids perform on the most famous playground of New York, perhaps of the United States. Their challenge is double: to play basketball so well that, at some point, a talent scout from the NBA may notice them; and to build a reputation as a ‘great streetballer’, an important achievement on its own. Rucker Park was built by Holocombe L. Rucker in the 50s, a teacher willing to give an alternative to street kids by offering them a place for practicing sport and build a community. Nestled amongst huge buildings, that playground still represents an opportunity, the starting point of a possible future, a career. Rucker Park is a stage for many, and a meeting point for the whole community. In a country where being good at sports can be the access key to some privileges, an area where privileges where never granted becomes the cornerstone of pure competition.

Harlem, NY, 2013.

Day after day in Rucker Park a huge show takes place: dozens of kids perform on the most famous playground of New York, perhaps of the United States. Their challenge is double: to play basketball so well that, at some point, a talent scout from the NBA may notice them; and to build a reputation as a ‘great streetballer’, an important achievement on its own. Rucker Park was built by Holocombe L. Rucker in the 50s, a teacher willing to give an alternative to street kids by offering them a place for practicing sport and build a community. Nestled amongst huge buildings, that playground still represents an opportunity, the starting point of a possible future, a career. Rucker Park is a stage for many, and a meeting point for the whole community. In a country where being good at sports can be the access key to some privileges, an area where privileges where never granted becomes the cornerstone of pure competition.