I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6852 
To designate Holcombe Rucker Park, in Harlem, New York, as a National 
Commemorative Site, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 19, 2023 
Mr. ESPAILLAT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To designate Holcombe Rucker Park, in Harlem, New York, 
as a National Commemorative Site, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Holcombe Rucker Park 
Landmark Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Holcombe Rucker Park is located between 
West 155th Street, 8th Avenue, and Harlem River 
Drive in Manhattan, New York. 
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(2) The park has been a source of inspiration, 
entertainment, and education for many people who 
have played or witnessed basketball games at the 
park, also serving as a showcase of talent, creativity, 
and diversity that reflects the spirit of Harlem. 
(3) In 1974, this playground was renamed 
Holcombe Rucker Park after NYC Parks’ beloved 
Playground Director, Holcombe Rucker, at the re-
quest of Rucker’s prote´ge´s. 
(4) Holcombe Rucker (1926–1965) is remem-
bered for the basketball tournaments he founded at 
this court and the generations of players he 
mentored. 
(5) The basketball tournaments at the park’s 
Greg Marius Court have been the subject of three 
films: Above the Rim, On Hallowed Ground: 
Streetball Champions of Rucker Park, and The 
Real: Rucker Pro Legends and Fathers of the Sport. 
(6) Born and raised in Manhattan and schooled 
at Benjamin Franklin High School, Rucker worked 
as a Playground Director for NYC Parks at various 
Harlem parks from 1948 to 1964. 
(7) A pioneer of social justice and racial equal-
ity in sports, Rucker created his own basketball 
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tournament to serve as a platform to promote inte-
gration and empower the black community. 
(8) The park is considered the birthplace of 
streetball, a style of basketball that emphasizes cre-
ativity, flair, and individual skills over formal rules 
and team play. 
(9) Many NBA legends and stars have played 
at Holcombe Rucker Park, either before or after 
their professional careers, such as Kareem Abdul- 
Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Kobe Bry-
ant, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James. 
(10) The park has been featured in many docu-
mentaries, movies, books, and video games that cele-
brate the history and culture of streetball. 
(11) Holcombe Rucker Park is home to the En-
tertainer’s Basketball Classic (EBC), founded in 
1982 by Greg Marius, a rapper who wanted to show-
case the talent and entertainment value of streetball, 
and has since become one of the most prestigious 
and popular streetball tournaments in the world. 
(12) The park has served as a platform for 
many basketball players who could not obtain NBA 
opportunities due to racial discrimination or other 
barriers, including Earl ‘‘The Goat’’ Manigault, Joe 
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‘‘The Destroyer’’ Hammond, Pee Wee Kirkland, and 
Herman ‘‘Helicopter’’ Knowings. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL COMMEMORATIVE SITE. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—Holcombe Rucker Park, in Har-
lem, New York, is designated as the ‘‘Holcombe Rucker 
Park National Commemorative Site’’ (referred to in this 
section as the ‘‘Commemorative Site’’). 
(b) EFFECT OF DESIGNATION.—The Commemora-
tive Site shall not be considered a unit of the National 
Park System. 
(c) NO EFFECT ON ACTIONS OF PROPERTY OWN-
ERS.—The designation of the Commemorative Site under 
this section shall not prohibit any actions that may other-
wise be taken by a property owner (including any owner 
of the Commemorative Site) with respect to the property 
of the owner. 
(d) NO EFFECT ON ADMINISTRATION.—Nothing in 
this section affects the administration of the Commemora-
tive Site by New York City or the State of New York. 
Æ 
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