Harlem, NY.
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. Both dreams can come true, or might fall hard to the ground. But it is worth trying, no doubt about that. 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 and grey buildings, that playground still represents an opportunity, the starting point of a possible future, a career. Some players are there every day, some others go there for a special occasion, a lot of people just sit on bleachers and chat, watch the game, gather: 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, where body and soul are involved equally, not without a bit of show.