The streetball shrine in Locke Park.

Go through the dark night in Harlem, new york, turn right from 153 Street and walk into 155 Street, where the polo baseball field is located. That stadium has been the home of the New York Giants since 189 1. 19 1 1 year, its wooden stands caused a fire and the whole stadium was razed to the ground. Now stands a 17-story "Slum Building". You can guess what people call "Polo Stadium Apartment".

There is no one over the terrace on the roof of the apartment, only the clothesline and TV antenna are sprawling. Looking down from this once holy place of baseball, you can see an asphalt basketball court painted with red and green paint, and some empty beer bottles in brown kraft paper bags have nowhere to hide under the pale street lights. That's another holy place: Locke Park.

Since 60 years ago, Rock Park has been the holy land of streetball, as old as the history of NBA. From 65438 to 0946, Holcomb Locke, an employee of new york Park Bureau, decided to find some entertainment for the idle children in Harlem on a hot summer night, so he founded a summer basketball league. What makes the park a headache is that the net in Locke Park always falls apart in less than two days. In the end, the park manager simply didn't change the net, so until today, the bare iron ring is still the eye-catching symbol of the street court.

The role of the Nets is to slow down the falling speed of basketball, and it is also an eye-catching sign when shooting from a distance. The direct result of the lack of net is that there are few long-range shots in early streetball. Players like to score points through dunks or layups, so they must pass the defenders first. The fancy style of streetball was born, but at that time, there was no dribbling under the legs, and the best players were only good at dribbling in different directions.

In the 1960s, the political instability in the United States made many people, especially young people, feel desperate, which was more obvious in Rock Park. It was an era when street heroes came forth in large numbers. Legendary streetball superstars such as Hammond the Destroyer, Manigat the Goat and Piwei kirkland caused a sensation in Locke Park. They are called "street poets" or "gods on asphalt".

The appearance of these legendary players made the Rock Park famous, and many people came here to watch them play. The hood parked next to the stadium is the best side seat, the bridge on155th Street is the balcony on the second floor, and the rooftops of tall buildings around the park are cheap seats. The best players in the NBA also come here to play against the streetball masters. Wilt chamberlain, Owen, Nate archibald, cowans and Qiao Ba are frequent visitors to Locke Park.

"Those street heroes are never afraid of professional players," said Duke Tango, who has been a commentator in Rock Park for many years. "This makes them even greater. They regard professional players as ordinary people, but they are lucky enough to play in professional leagues. Outside the NBA, those professional players are no different from the poor boys in the surrounding communities. "

Almost all legendary streetball stars have performed in Locke Park, and many NBA stars have come here to learn from streetball masters. The NBA players who have played here are:

Allen Iverson

Raphael Alston jumps to my Lou Rafer Alston.

Kenny anderson kenny anderson

Artest, Artest

Kobe Bryant

Vincent carter vincent carter

Byron davis byron davis

Joe Ford

Steve francis steve francis

Kevin Garnett

Lamar Odom Lamar Odom

Stephon Marbury Stephon Marbury

Shawn marion shawn marion

Jamal Mashburn's jamal mashburn

Tracy McGrady

Smash Parker "Death" Smash Parker

Paul pierce paul pierce.

Sebastian Telfair

Jamal tinsley jamaal tinsley

Kevin durant kevin durant

In Jermaine ONeal, Jermaine ONeal, with the upsurge of street basketball culture sweeping through China, a "rock park" belonging to China people has sprung up in China and Ran Ran. The first site of the park is located in Yangpu District, China. When it was completed in autumn, it caused a whole craze. The stadium attracted Wilber Pan from the day it was built; Song Seung Heon; Yao Ming; Ding Junhui; TFB； Stars such as S.K.Y and famous teams all went. However, due to the municipal construction, the stadium was closed. However, when this upsurge arose, China Locke Basketball Park began to set up sub-venues in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Beijing. Now, the brand-new China Locke Basketball Park has also opened in Putuo District, continuing the myth of China Locke.

China Locke Basketball Park has inherited the design concept of street origin and loyalty to the trend from the decoration style. Whether it is the design of the backboard or all kinds of graffiti in the venue, it maintains the most street and fashionable design. At the same time, in order to enhance the atmosphere, the venue will continue to play the most exciting music on various charts to set off.

China Locke Basketball Park witnessed the growth of street basketball culture in China. There are more than 100 3-on-3 basketball games held in Locke basketball parks all over the country. The most famous is "TFB China Tour"; Gatorade crazy basketball; God of the past; Wandering in the sky; "decisive battle at the top of Locke" and so on. These events set off a storm in the hearts of domestic street basketball fans. It's a Monday night, and Locke Park is brightly lit.

Williams, the "bone picker" of RBK team, used his amazing speed to throw off the defenders many times. He fooled the defender by crossing the dribble between his legs. His back pass was as accurate as his eyes, which made the fans scream. ...

During the pause, the hot Hip-hop music sounded, the DJ was just sensational, and the rapper's performance kept the fans in a high state. Several black boys couldn't hold back their excitement and rushed to the stadium to perform one of the most popular street dances in new york. No security guards went up to stop them. A lot of restless ass has been wriggling with these children.

Mr. Holcomb Locke, the founder of street basketball in Locke Park, may only dream that his "works" will be greatly respected and sought after today.

Forty years ago, the park that had not been rebuilt was a huge garbage dump. When the wind blows, the residents around can smell the stench of floating garbage. 1965, Locke, director of the municipal office of new york Park, moved his long-cherished street basketball league to the open space of this park. Although it has been renovated, it is still surrounded by abandoned buildings and the stadium is paved with asphalt. If it falls heavily in the collision, it will leave a trail of blood.

This is a paradise for street boys to pursue their dreams of freedom, and Locke Park has gradually established its status as the Mecca of world street basketball from new york's best street basketball field, the National Street Basketball Temple. It has the best reputation, the best players and the highest street culture, which is so high that the famous street baskets such as Greenwich Village's "Street Cage", Coney Island Garden and Philadelphia Baker are far behind. If Holcomb Locke were still alive, he would surely win the new york Medal of Honor. Locke Park is the beating heart of millions of children who are crazy about street basketball in the world, but the original intention of this alliance is to prevent children from going on a bad road.

He may not be a great player, but he is certainly an outstanding innovator and the best life mentor for children. Mr Locke always thinks that the game in the park is "not a basketball league". What he wants to create is a brand-new culture, telling children that basketball is a kind of life and worth pursuing all his life.

"He makes us feel that life is meaningful and we can have dreams and goals." Charles Turner said slowly that he was a faithful believer in Locke culture and played league games in the park for many years. "He saved many children. It turns out that they will hang out with some rotten children in the street, rob and take drugs. If they were not hacked to death, they would spend their lives in prison. But suddenly, they found a new life world on the basketball court. "

In the past, the police station in new york was troubled by the extremely high crime rate in this international metropolis and became one of the largest drug trafficking places. However, after the popularity of street baskets such as Locke Park, many children who will become delinquents tomorrow have become local basketball stars, and more children are talking about shooting skills rather than taking drugs.

1974, nine years after Mr. Locke's death, the local government named this park named "P P S 156 Playground" in his name, in recognition of his outstanding contributions.

Buying a bottle of soda and a pack of hot dogs at the retail booth in the park, finding a good seat in the open air as quickly as possible, and letting your body swing and relax completely this evening have become the coolest lifestyle for many teenagers in new york. It is common to find a famous person to watch the ball, such as Bill Clinton, Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. and so on.

Children all like this basketball life. The league tournament here lasts from mid-June to mid-August, which is described by The New York Times as one of the most important activities in the local summer. Although some people in NBA disdainfully call Locke League "playground basketball", and all players are playing wild ball, the dazzling cross dribbling, finger rotation, destructive dunk and perfect air relay here have been affecting the NBA's ball style for many years.

3 1 year-old entrepreneur Haniba Ward is a staunch Locke fan. If he had to choose between the NBA game in the Square Garden and the street basketball here, he would not hesitate to choose the latter. "I'm here to watch the ball. I never dare to leave my seat, even if your bladder is about to burst, or you are dying of hunger and thirst. Because as soon as you leave, you may miss a wonderful scene, and people may talk about this action for many years. "

Wally Dixon, the 6-foot-4 defender of the Rock League's Bad Boys, thinks this place can provide the greatest basketball enjoyment. "Many people who go to the garden to watch NBA games will come here to watch the game. As long as I am on the court, I will provide them with the purest entertainment from beginning to end. " Week one: At the beginning of the competition, the players should be prepared to accept countless screams, cheers, boos and even curses.

The second week: In addition to normal games, some NBA stars will be invited to compete with league stars. Every player who participates in the event will be given a nickname by the event organizer, but Richardson of the Warriors invited is too poor to get a name.

Week 3: The competition entered the climax stage.

Week 4: All-Star Game in Harlem. The winners are all street basketball players in this area, but NBA players are not excluded, such as O 'Neill of Pacers, marino of Suns and Marbury.

Week 5: There may be another NBA star, but I don't know if it will be humiliated again.

Week 6: A week for defenders, especially point guards. Many NBA scouts will come here to watch the game, hoping to find a good defender, but only if the latter agrees.

Week 7: The playoff time is also the climax of the "performance show".

Week 8: The finals are coming. The two teams with the most basketball strength and performance talent will compete for the annual championship. The winner is the "terrorist group".

When it comes to streetball, we have to mention Harlem, new york, and when it comes to Harlem, we have to say that Lake Park, located on 155 Avenue, is regarded as a streetball temple by streetball players all over the world. Locke Park is not a park in the general sense, but a streetball shrine that combines American culture, black culture and basketball culture. Forty years ago, Locke Park was a garbage dump, a stinking place, and all the residents around it stayed away from it. 1965, Holcombe Locke, a worker of new york Park Municipal Office, decided to make good use of this place, so he made a series of renovations to the garbage dump, paved the asphalt floor, and moved his favorite street basketball league to the park open-air field in Harlem155th Street.

At that time, Locke Park not only provided a place for entertainment and exercise for the children nearby, but also saved many slum teenagers who were likely to go astray. This free park allows those children who should have been fooling around in society to find another world on the court. Many delinquent teenagers have become local proud stars.

A new york media even said, "If it weren't for Mr. Locke, new york might be a completely different city now." NBA stars will also visit the Rock Park in their spare time. If you have heard of any NBA star who has played street hockey, it's probably in the Rock Park. "Jabbar-Jabbar" Jabbar, Chamberlain and Dr. J all played in Locke, and NBA stars such as O 'Neill, Steve Marbury, Iverson, Mashburn, Marion, Kobe Bryant and Garnett all played in Locke.

Rock Park also has its own stars, all famous street players, whose influence is no worse than any star in NBA. To put it bluntly, the players and fans here don't even worship Kobe Bryant, the greatest star in history.

Some people compare the Rock Park to Bermuda of the NBA, because many NBA stars will be "insulted" by the stars of the Rock Park when they visit the Rock Park in summer, but they still enjoy it and persist in appearing on the court of the Rock Park.

In the summer of 2003, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant came to the Rock Park and hinted that he wanted to break the street ball record of 73 points set by Homend (the street fighter nicknamed "Destroyer" in the Rock Park) at the age of 25. Kobe didn't go all out in the first half, but he scored 14 points on 7 shots. Just when everyone was looking forward to the wonderful showdown in the second half, a heavy rain came unexpectedly and the game had to be cancelled. Although he didn't finish the game, Kobe spoke highly of the streetball players in Locke Park: "The players there are really good. If you can't make a convincing performance, they won't respect you at all, and they will' kill' you on the court. " Even though American culture has always been praised and exaggerated, it still shows the glory of Rock Park as a streetball shrine. Only by standing under the green sign of Locke Park can you really feel that this is the holy land of streetball. Before you plan to go, you will certainly get all kinds of warnings, especially to outsiders: don't look at others easily, don't talk to people standing on the roadside easily; Never walk, drive; Never come empty-handed. Maybe your brand-name sneakers and cameras will be taken away, or maybe you will be beaten up because you accidentally took a look at those Harlem neighborhoods. But if you do come, it shows your respect for Locke's legend. You are worthy of respect, but you must be accompanied by the guys who grew up in Harlem and listen to them. This is the rule, and the holy land is the holy land.