Why is NY considered the "Mecca of basketball"

[the gr8]

Originally Posted by outacontrol music

I THOUGHT ABOUT ASKING THIS LIKE A WEEK AGO

this dude still posting? %#++ yall couldnt even keep LEbron

Sure as hell not the mecca to me.......maybe the mecca ofarrogance. I respect NY's historic prowess, but get off your highhorse.

first off its not like JUST dudes in NY call NY the MEcca of basketball. There is a reason why almost every player (including even your hero Michael Jordan has said that and he is also from here btw). Its not about the succss of our pro team. Its about all the history, and the passion that everyone here has for basketball. The fans here cant control how well the Knicks do, we didnt put James Dolan in charge but we can control making the Garden the most electrifying and amazing place to play basketball in the world while also being the most passionate NBA fans which we are and if you can remember the enrgy that the Garden had in the 1990s when we were a winning team you cant argue that. Just some you younger dudes who just know the Knicks for Isaih/Layden.

I mean success of an NBA team has nada to do with the fact that we are basketball's mecca. With that logic San Antonio has been running bball for the past decade and nobody even gives a %#$% about basketball over down. Professional sports are a business the fans and people from that city cannot control how well a team does just how well they support them, and NY always has the best and most loyal fans. Knicks woulda been out the city if they were in any other city besides NY this past decade, instead we were top 5 in attendance again this season. I mean the Yankees have had by far the most success in baseball but even as a NYer i cant consider us the Mecca of baseball because nobody here really gives a %#++ about baseball and we dont breed baseball players like we do basketball. That would have to go to Boston or some %#$% and i hate Boston but you cant deny the history of Fenway Park just like you cant deny us MSG.

NY is the Mecca of basketball and were not even the only ones who think so, so hop off and stop making us out to be arrogant. The name was not given but earned.

 

[the sauna]

Indiana

Not saying indiana is the mecca of basketball, but indiana has a very rich tradition in basketball as well.. There's a basketball hoop in every driveway. EVERY driveway.. Everybody out there hoops..

If a small school like Butler is gonna come 1 shot away from winning the NCAA title, to me its no surprise that its a school from indiana with a bunch of indiana kids playing on the team, its what we do here...

John Wooden, Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson...

 

[duba169]

if you have to ask you'll never know

kobe and MJ think it's the mecca. who cares what some random people on the NT think about it. i love that the title makes people so angry

 

[duba169]

you haven't heard? the pacers sucked for a decade so there is no tradition of basketball in indiana. there never was. you are just making it up

that's the logic most people use here

 

[the gr8]

Originally Posted by THE SAUNA

Indiana

Not saying indiana is the mecca of basketball, but indiana has a very rich tradition in basketball as well.. There's a basketball hoop in every driveway. EVERY driveway.. Everybody out there hoops..

If a small school like Butler is gonna come 1 shot away from winning the NCAA title, to me its no surprise that its a school from indiana with a bunch of indiana kids playing on the team, its what we do here...

John Wooden, Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson...

I hate Indiana but yeah youre very much right. Indiana is nuts about basketball. As much as NY represents the urban kind of streetball basketball and Rucker Park and all that. Indiana represents the slower pace kind of rural game like Hoosiers status. But just because of how much bball is dominated by urban culture especially nowadays i still give NY the nod. They do love basketball in Indy though.

 

[0cks]

"Birth place of Michael Jordan, Home of Biggie Smalls..."

That is all.

Biggest thing you will notice in NYC is all those little Maple Leaf logos and the sound of a ball being bounced. It's a culture up there.

 

[ajrocka]

 

[do be doo]

 

[brownin187]

Just like Toronto is the mecca of Hockey (Montreal and Detroit peeps know it)

Huge fan interest + Huge media presence + History

 

[grittyman20]

I agree, NY is the Mecca of basketball.

I looked up that term "mecca" and got this definition: "Any place considered to be a very important place to visit by people with a particular interest"...and that's New York City all day when it comes to basketball. I'm not from NY, but I've been there a few times and the people their are crazy passionate (I can't completely agree with the "knowledgeable" part) about hoops. I don't think that it means that NY has the best fans, produces the best players, or even where you go to see the best ball, or anything like that...it's just that basketball seems to deeply rooted in the culture of the city. From street-ball, high school, college, and the pros it seems like basketball is everywhere and everything.

 

[bwoodfolkgd74]

The Rens

 

[sleepybluedemon]

I respect msg as the mecca of basketball and all of the history of that building. 

It's held up while Chicago Stadium, with a lot of its own rich history, boston garden, and great western forum have been replaced as homes of their respective NBA teams.

BUT...

Originally Posted by Ballinsam23

1. We have the most loyal/knowledgeable fans in the world.
2. The city lives breathes sleeps basketball.
3. The best/most competition in the country basketball wise
4. The GOAT was born here....
5. No one takes basketball more seriously than NY'ers plain and simple, YES WE KNOW YOU WANT TO BE LIKE US.

this type of foolishness needs to stop...

As has mentioned before, as a city, Chicago has a strong basketball culture that is as strong or stronger than new york, a richer history, and there is more basketball talent in the Chicago area.  And, again, as has been mentioned before, as a state, indiana is more passionate and has a stronger basketball culture.

 

[sleepybluedemon]

I respect msg as the mecca of basketball and all of the history of that building. 

It's held up while Chicago Stadium, with a lot of its own rich history, boston garden, and great western forum have been replaced as homes of their respective NBA teams.

BUT...

Originally Posted by Ballinsam23

1. We have the most loyal/knowledgeable fans in the world.
2. The city lives breathes sleeps basketball.
3. The best/most competition in the country basketball wise
4. The GOAT was born here....
5. No one takes basketball more seriously than NY'ers plain and simple, YES WE KNOW YOU WANT TO BE LIKE US.

this type of foolishness needs to stop...

As has mentioned before, as a city, Chicago has a strong basketball culture that is as strong or stronger than new york, a richer history, and there is more basketball talent in the Chicago area.  And, again, as has been mentioned before, as a state, indiana is more passionate and has a stronger basketball culture.

 

[will sterile]

the mecca of L's

nah but forreals,

 

[will sterile]

the mecca of L's

nah but forreals,

 

[yeeupp]

Knicks fans are not the ones who called MSG the Mecca of basketball..

NBA players, current and hall of famers do.. So ask them that

Yes.. that include players like Kobe, Lebron, Magic, MJ, Scottie...

 

[lawdog1]

I don't really have any beef with NY being called the mecca of hoops. Don't know that I really agree, but I accept that is the prevailing view. What I really object to is when people call the Knicks a "storied" NBA franchise. A team that only has 2 titles and the last 1 was 35 years ago, is not "storied." When it comes to NBA history, there's the Celtics, the Lakers, the 1990s Bulls and then there is everyone else, including the Knicks.
Oh, and people underestimate how passionate LA fans are about basketball.  There's too much focus on the people who show up to Staples, particularly those in the fist couple rows.  Those people are not a good representation of actual LA basketball fans.  They're just the people who have enough cash to afford those seats.  Basketball is extremely important in LA.  If you listen to sports talk radio here, the number 1 topic of conversation all year -- even in the off season -- is the Lakers.  There's plenty of passion here for basketball.    

 

[hannsum]

damnn sure it ain't staples center lol

 

[nat turner]

The reason that NYC is called the "Mecca", has everything to do with the College hoops scene back in the 1950's. At that time, the NIT was the king of all hoops tournaments, then was even bigger than the NBA. The NIT being played at the old Madison Square Garden which was on 50th street, then not 34th street, was a really huge deal for college teams around the country, and some of the best teams to play in the tourney were from NY, with NY bred talent. LIU being coached by Clair Bee was one of those teams.With the NIT as the backdrop, many coaches began to look for hidden talent in NY, in order to ship them to smaller areas to play for college teams. There is a book from the 1970's called HEAVEN IS A PLAYGROUND, which describes the recruiting process of that time. Every boro had its representation. Lew Alcindor, Julius Erving, Billy Cunningham, World B Free, Bernard King, Connie Hawkins, Tiny Archibald, Rolando Blackman, Sidney Green, Pearl Washington, Kenny Smith, Mark Jackson, Kenny Anderson, John Salley, Albert King, Sam Worthen, Ray and Gus Williams, Chris Mullin, Mario Elie, Walter Berry, Rod Strickland, the Rucker Tourney, West 4 Street, Soul In The Hole, Tillary Park, King Towers, Riverside Church, Brooklyn USA, Gauchos organizations, all played their parts in maintaining the lore. 

In NY, it is easy to get around, while getting to parks and gyms in order to play then test your skills against the top comp. In other states it is not that easy, with perhaps Chitown being the only exception. This keeps the comp level high, which in turn can, and will, elevate the game.

New York's rep as the "mecca", is well earned.    

 

[ray mulla]

NY is the Mecca for everything

 

[sean c0mbs]

why the hell is this post still being brought up? sheesh let it die

I already know about the hate for the ny

 

[Humbled]

NY is the biggest sports town though. Not even gonna lie

 

[copped]

I hate when people don't understand or at least appreciate the argument for why NYC is the Mecca of Basketball...

I'd also hate to quote an AND 1 Streetballer but Headache said it the best in AND 1 Mixtape vol. 5:

'No matter where you go in New York City, you will find a good pick-up game'

the reasons for that are:
-competitiveness embedded in new york culture
-basketball being the primary sport in new york
-it is an easily accessible sport and relatively cheap to enjoy/play (like someone mentioned, can't go 1 block without finding a basketball court)

all of these create a culture of basketball in NYC like no where else. It has almost nothing to do with the new york knicks nor how many titles they have won. In fact what makes the new york knicks so popular are the 3 basic things above which has created the greatest basketball fans in the world.

if we took the top 5 players in new york from every RACE/RELIGION/CULTURE (i.e. immigrants, non-americans, non-afro americans, etc.)

i think 9/10 NYC's pool of talent would out beat any other major city in the united states.

I think it would be a good gauge to measure how deep basketball is rooted in New York culture, and it would show that the average talented ball players aren't just black or white.

 

[scotthallwithapick]

How is NY NOT the mecca of basketball? I know a lot of NYs are arrogant and think everything is about them but theyre right on this

 

[live boy d]

Originally Posted by YEEUPP

Knicks fans are not the ones who called MSG the Mecca of basketball..

NBA players, current and hall of famers do.. So ask them that

Yes.. that include players like Kobe, Lebron, Magic, MJ, Scottie...