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By Justin Goodrum
With New York recognized for its wealthy fusion of Hip-Hop, basketball, and tradition, monitoring their shared historical past on the floor is a Herculean activity. However for legendary New York DJ, streetball icon, filmmaker, and former radio host recognized for co-hosting “The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Present,” Bobbito García is the right candidate to eloquently join the three worlds in his memoir, Bobbito’s Guide of B-Ball Bong Bong!: A Memoir of Sports activities, Fashion, and Soul.
In his interview with the Hoopsology Podcast, he shared that writing his guide grew to become his favourite basketball reminiscence, a mirrored image of his deep historical past with the sport he grew up round in New York.
“So I believe proper now I’m simply going to go along with the method of authoring my memoir, could be my favourite reminiscence as a result of it was only a pleasure trip of pulling collectively pictures, 35 millimeter archives of my very own work from the previous 30 years, in addition to writing about my experiences, each on and off the court docket, with entry factors of household and id and upbringing in New York,” García informed Ballislife. “However actually, there’s a variety of historical past concerning the recreation outdoor on the asphalt and the 5 burrows and past.”
When readers decide up his guide, they’ll uncover how García’s journey—from co-hosting the legendary hip-hop radio present The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Present, to pioneering sneaker journalism, directing acclaimed documentaries, and internet hosting packages on ESPN and NBATV—formed each his ardour for basketball and his perception that New York has essentially the most distinctive relationship with the game of any metropolis on the earth.
“I’ve traveled to 47, possibly 48 international locations world wide. Folks need to play at Rucker, West Fourth. There’s no different outside area that’s as well-known as these two. I imply, positive, Venice Seaside and you bought the gorgeous court docket in Croatia, you recognize, by the fortress and you bought La Pella, Puerto Rico, you bought, you recognize, Chicago and Detroit have historical past, nevertheless it simply doesn’t add as much as what the legacy that New York has created and proposed to the remainder of the world and even to the NBA. The league has taken a variety of its cues from my metropolis. We’ve knowledgeable the NBA in some ways, whether or not it’s been advertising and marketing, technique, type, tradition, all of it, the roots are proper right here.”
García’s guide additionally dives into his expertise because the voice of some of the beloved video video games ever, NBA Road Vol. 2. He displays that he had no thought how a lot of an affect the sport would have on the legacy of basketball tradition and that he usually has individuals calling him a “streetball legend.”
“I used to be the announcer of the sport. And it was a pleasure trip once more, as a result of I didn’t even play video video games, and I nonetheless don’t. I solely performed NBA Road Quantity 2 as soon as, and I obtained my ass busted by this 13-year-old child who’s the son of my pricey buddy,” García mentioned. “However I went into the studio to file, and I simply infused all of the essence and the ethos of what’s inside my soul from having performed ball because the ’70s and ’80s in New York. And that’s what makes that recreation so genuine.”
Although he’s doesn’t play video video games usually, he’s diving again into the basketball gaming world with the brand new streetball recreation The Run: Received Subsequent, developed by Play By Play Studios which is scheduled to be printed in 2025 for Steam, Xbox Collection X | S, PS5 which has him being the voice of the sport and has members of the design workforce who labored on NBA Road Vol. 2.
Hip-Hop and basketball are sometimes linked collectively all through historical past, with notable basketball stars Shaquille O’Neal, Damian Lillard (“Dame D.O.L.L.A.”), and Lonzo Ball having launched rap albums, whereas pop and rap artists constantly reference basketball tradition of their lyrics. However García notes it was New York Metropolis that fueled the bond between hip-hop and basketball.
“Close to the connection of hip hop and basketball, there are two separate actions,” García mentioned. “However sure, they’re extraordinarily interconnected, they usually each have been birthed culturally right here in New York. And in some circumstances, the identical areas, you recognize, the park jams occurred on the basketball court docket. Among the indoor jams occurred at gyms or, you recognize, rec facilities the place there have been, you recognize, ball gamers and, you recognize, hip hop took a variety of its vogue cues when it got here to footwear from basketball.”
He additionally notes that it’s essential to keep in mind that hip-hop and basketball have their very own identities, regardless that they’re carefully linked collectively.
“However, you recognize, don’t get it twisted,” García mentioned. “Like hip-hop is its personal factor and basketball is its personal factor. You already know, persons are like, oh, basketball is hip hop. Like, no, basketball existed for 80 years earlier than hip hop was even a thought in somebody’s head. However I like how they react to one another and the way they play alongside of one another.”
When requested concerning the state of basketball tradition, García believes that the rise of content material creation has allowed followers to specific their ardour of basketball to new audiences and luxuriate in sharing the sport that they love.
“There’s extra alternatives to take heed to individuals analyze the game and the sport than ever in historical past,” García mentioned. “Take into consideration December twenty first, 1891, when basketball was born, to 2025, the place there’s a whole bunch of podcasts. A whole bunch. You may have individuals which can be simply recording out of their bed room with 5 listeners, however they’re having a ball expressing themselves. So I embrace that.”
Bobbito’s Guide of B-Ball Bong Bong!: A Memoir of Sports activities, Fashion, and Soul is on the market now on Amazon or at your native bookstore.
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