Thousands of programs run basketball leagues throughout New York, but only a select few have the opportunity to run a pickup game on the Garden floor.
Youth leagues that participate in the NYC Parks Department and The YMCA throughout the five boroughs partner with the New York Knicks. These various programs select lucky individuals to live out their dream.
During halftime of the New York Knicks vs. Toronto Raptors, kids from the YMCA and NYC Parks Department were invited to watch the game and participate in a 15 minute pick up game on the Garden floor. To make this event official, players were fitted with Jr. Knicks uniforms and began to lace up their sneakers in preparation for a once in a lifetime opportunity. These kid’s heroes just finished competing on the greatest stage in basketball and what follows is their dreams coming to life.
The game begins with the blue team inbounding the ball.
One player shows no fear and shoots with confidence as the rest of the players fight for position.
One kid smiles as his teammate secures the rebound.
One shot goes up but misses as the kids and crowd look on.
Blue team secures the rebound as one kid flicks the ball in the air at mid-court planning his next move.
His strategy paid off as he blows by the defense and lays the ball up.
The clock winds down as the kids look on and soak up the last few seconds they have on the court.
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