Nike Celebrates Season 5 of Its NYvsNY Basketball Tournament

Source: Nike / NYvsNY Summer of Hoops Season 5 Kickoff

We are back outside again this summer, and that means it’s summer hoops season in New York City, and Nike is celebrating season 5 of its NYvsNY basketball tournament. Before heading to Tri-State Park in Harlem to take in the intense competitive asphalt action, the invited press headed to Nike HQ to partake in basketball-themed workouts to get the juices flowing.

All guests, including Cassius Life’s own Bernard “Beanz” Smalls, were treated by three unique sneakers designed to commemorate the return of the NYvsNY tournament: the classic Terminator Low, Nike KD 16, and Zoom GT Cut 2. A Nike EKIN was on to tell us the story behind the three designs.

Source: Nike / NYvsNY Summer of Hoops Season 5 Kickoff

All three sneakers each have colorways that reflect what it looks like to hoop at a legendary New York City playground location like Gersh Park, The Rucker, or Tri-State.

Source: Nike / NYvsNY Summer of Hoops Season 5 Kickoff

Grow Our Game x Made To Play Panel

Source: Nike / NYvsNY Summer of Hoops Season 5 Kickoff

After capturing content and putting on our provided gear, guests sat down for a Grow Our Game x Made To Play Initiative panel moderated by ESPN and MSG Networks analyst Monica McNutt featuring Grow Our Game founder and head coach of defending champions girls Gersh team, Chiené Joy Jones, and the Director, Social Community Impact at Nike, Alize Garcia.

Grow Our Game Is Providing A Necessary Space For Girls Who Love Sports

Source: Nike / NYvsNY Summer of Hoops Season 5 Kickoff

When asked what inspired her to create Grow Our Game and what specific need she wanted to address with the organization Jones’ primary mission was to give girls who wanted to play sports a space. “I think that for me, Grow Our Game was kind of something that happened as a result of seeing there was a problem,” Jones said. “This was before the statistics and before everyone was talking about why it was so important for girls to participate in sports. There was actually something that was happening in the New York City basketball ecosystem, where there was so much emphasis on girls that were already made, that were already really good, that they were kind of forgetting about the younger group of girls that were coming up. So you started seeing so many more young girls that been had an interest in sports, especially basketball, but didn’t have any sort of means or opportunity to do it.”

Source: Nike / NYvsNY Summer of Hoops Season 5 Kickoff

She continues, “Also pay to play has become a really, really big topic of conversation in this space of youth sports, and so I think again to have this old and crazy idea of even just doing a program for free, you would think that being in New York City it was something that was pretty common, but we are actually the only program in New York doing this work for girls between 4 and 11.”

Time To Sweat

Source: Nike / NYvsNY Summer of Hoops Season 5 Kickoff

Immediately following the panel, guests hit the John Thompson Jr. court to partake in a series of basketball-themed workouts on par with celebrating the Summer of Hoops Season. The instructor guided us through various breathing exercises, Yoga poses, strengthening techniques, and more that a professional basketball player would go through daily during practice or before their games.

Source: Nike / NYvsNY Summer of Hoops Season 5 Kickoff

We will add we are still feeling the effects of that workout days later.

NYvsNY Tip-Off

Source: Nike / NYvsNY Summer of Hoops Season 5 Kickoff

After the workout, it was time to hit the showers and head to Tri-State Park at 145th and Lenox Avenue in Harlem, NY, to witness the first two games kicking off season 5 of Nike’s NYvsNY summer tournament. Summer hoops enthusiasts were treated to two competitive basketball games. They also had the opportunity to score a pair of Jayson Tatum’s signature Jordan Brand sneakers, the Tatum 1, in the sick “Pink Lemonade” colorway.

The first game on the schedule saw West 4th take on the defending boy’s champions, Gersh Park. It was a competitive matchup for the first three quarters before the champs reminded the West 4th team there is a reason they have the crown walking away with a 72-63 victory.

Source: Nike / NYvsNY Summer of Hoops Season 5 Kickoff

The second and final game of the night saw Dyckman take on the home team, Tri-State. Jayson Tatum, Lance Stephenson, and Jadakiss were in the building to watch the action.

Even though the 71-63 final score made it seem like this game was close, Dyckman was in control the entire time.

Source: Nike / NYvsNY Summer of Hoops Season 5 Kickoff

This was only the first game. The next set of games goes down on July 11 at Watson Park in the Bronx, where West 4th will take on Lincoln Park in game one, and Tri-State will face off against Watson. For the entire NYvsNY schedule, head here and hit the gallery below for more photos. Photos: Nike