TBT to hold regional at Rucker Park in event's first outdoor games

The Basketball Tournament will play one of its eight regionals at historic Rucker Park in New York City, the first time the annual event will hold games outdoors.

The TBT announced Thursday that Rucker Park will host games from July 16-20, with the winner moving on to the quarterfinals at the University of Dayton on July 29-30.

«Rucker Park has always been a dream of ours,» TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar told ESPN. «TBT is an open tournament format, and we want it to be a celebration of all things basketball. People assemble from the pros, from college, from the YMCA. And Rucker Park, to me, has always been the pinnacle of a melting pot for basketball. Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson playing there against guys you've never heard of before. That openness epitomizes TBT.»

Mugar said the idea first came about after last summer's event, when the organizers were looking for unique places to host games. They had never played outdoors before — they came close during 2020's bubble environment, when the idea of putting a court in the middle of Ohio Stadium was heavily discussed — and Rucker Park seemed like the perfect location to pursue.

The first group that organizers contacted to gauge interest was the National Basketball Players Association, which had partnered with NYC Parks to renovate Greg Marius Court at Rucker Park.

«We are very excited for this partnership and to support The Basketball Tournament coming to the newly renovated Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park,» NBPA president and New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum said in a statement. «This tournament promotes and celebrates the game of basketball in a truly unique fashion and this is a natural collaboration for the NBPA and our players.»

After the