On a clear, summery Friday evening in Queen Elizabeth Park, a 4-on-4 half-court game occupies one of the three basketball courts. On the other courts, a middle-aged guy wearing a Toronto Raptors jersey is practicing his jump shot, and an 8-year old boy is dribbling around his proud father, heaving the occasional lay-up. It’s a pretty quiet night. Two decades ago, on these very same courts, you could always expect some excitement, guaranteed streetball action. The highly skilled streetballers would play on the feature court, showcasing very competitive, high-intensity games, while the less talented players were relegated to playing on the lesser courts. Teams watching along the sidelines would yell, “We got next!”, identifying their turn in proper streetball etiquette and eager to play the ‘kings of the court’. All this streetball action played out until dusk, when players were getting plunked on the head because they could no longer see the ball. Where have all the streetballers disappeared? 

Although street basketball in Vancouver hasn’t completely disappeared, there’s been a noticeable drop in basketball played outdoors, particularly during the summer months. The increase in basketball clubs and academies, elite training camps, recreation leagues, new training facilities, and drop-in sessions at community centres are some of the contributing factors to the decline of streetball. The business of basketball has made its presence known as more parents are opting to put their kids in a more structured indoor environment rather than letting them play freely on their own at their local park. And having to pay for guaranteed competition indoors and not having to wonder if enough players would show up at the park has certainly brought the game off the streets.

The height of streetball’s popularity in Vancouver was during the early 1990’s to mid 2000’s, as hundreds of teams competed in the annual NBA Hoop-It-Up 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Games were played outdoors on makeshift half-court basketball courts on parts of the old Molson Indy racetrack around Science World and on the parking lots of UBC, SFU and BCIT. Teams of three to five players, male, female and co-ed teams, ages from 10 years old to 60+, competed every year over a weekend in the early summer. Games started in the morning and lasted until early evening. Teams had to endure the mid-day scorching heat and sun, while the free Gatorade drinks made the humid conditions more bearable. This event brought together all the local hoopsters into one place to compete and battle for streetball supremacy. The excitement and anticipation leading up to Hoop-It-Up motivated many streetballers to practice their ballin’ skills on the blacktop and get some extra game action before the big event arrived. Players would proudly wear their souvenir Hoop-It-Up t-shirts around town and on the courts, identifying themselves as genuine streetballers.

The Vancouver Grizzlies undoubtedly made its impact on the local basketball scene, which has helped expand the game in Metro Vancouver from a grassroots level. More kids started to believe that they could play in the NBA someday by watching the Grizzlies at the former GM Place arena. The path to playing basketball professionally has become more competitive and lucrative than years past. Kids begin training at a younger age, choosing to be more disciplined and well-organized. They invest more time in the gym learning the fundamentals of dribbling, passing, footwork, defense, learning the X’s and O’s of the game, rather than relying on their raw talent and taking part in pick-up games. Kids still try to mimic their favourite NBA player on the basketball court, as they cross-over dribble like Allen Iverson, drop a behind-the-back no-look pass like Steve Nash, or post-up down low and spin baseline like Shaq. It’s rare to find a group of 12-year old kids playing outside, enjoying a full-court game of 5-on-5, running freely under the sun and clouds and surrounded by trees and grass rather than enclosed by four walls and a ceiling.

With the backdrop of the ocean, mountains and the sunset at Kitsilano Beach, playing or watching pick-up games here on the beautifully designed and maintained courts is definitely a treat for basketball enthusiasts. Vancouver certainly has the courts, players and infrastructure to grow the game outdoors, but will probably never have the history and notoriety like the streetball courts of Rucker Park in New York, Venice Beach in Los Angeles or Harbourfront Community Centre in Toronto. The enthusiasm and passion for basketball in the 604 area code is still around, and will always continue to grow and thrive, but you’ll mostly find it on the hardwood instead of the blacktop. It’s time to play outside, shoot the ball against the wind and breathe the outdoor air!