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The federal honor recognizes the park’s crucial influence on basketball and its legacy as the basketball mecca in Harlem. The designation also honors the legacy of Holcombe Rucker who helped nurture some of the sport’s most talented players – from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Rafer “Skip 2 My Lou” Alston.
The celebration kicked off with a Legends Breakfast at the Renaissance New York Harlem Hotel where U.S. Congressman Adriano Espaillat and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer shared special remarks. Honorees included Nate “Tiny” Archibald, Fred Crawford Sr., Bobby Hunter, Tom Hoover, Bob McCullough, Nancy Lieberman, Marius Family, Gail Marquis, Deuce McBride, Rucker Family, the late Sandman Sims, Rod Strickland,
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Kool DJ Red Alert, among others.
Shortly after the breakfast ceremony, GHCC hosted a site dedication presentation at the famed Rucker Park, alongside a series of exhibition games featuring the New York All-Stars vs. Boston All Stars (Girls Middle School Game) and New York All Stars vs. Philly All Stars (Boys High School Game).
The site designation underscores the Senate and House passage of the Holcombe Rucker Park Commemorative Site Act this past January to preserve the park – shepherded by U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat. Rucker now joins three other national historical sites in Upper Manhattan: the Morris-Jumel Mansion, Hamilton Grange National Memorial, and General U.S. Grant National Memorial.
