When I was about 15 years old my life was pretty simple. Wake up, eat breakfast, play basketball, eat lunch, play basketball… and maybe if I had some time… play some more basketball. Suited up in my latest tournament T-Shirt and some Gauchos shorts, I would travel around the city with my basketball looking for some good run. One hot summer day I ventured out to Central Park in search of some courts that I had heard about. When I got there it was crowded and I instantly could tell which court was where the serious ballers played. I gravitated to this court and instantly observed the basketball hierarchy there. These guys played there every day and knew each other personally. There was this one particular team who was on a roll, 6 wins in a row, and no sign of tiring any time soon. Then it happens… a player goes down with an injury and they need somebody to fill his spot. I’m in the game. I’m nervous but confident.
Big Strick wasn’t the best athlete in the world but he used basketball to put a smile on the faces of people around the world. Photo Courtesy Of Jon Lopez
I’m playing against the team that has just won the last 6 games, but I’m feeling good. I hit my first 3 shots and I was feeling good. I’m the youngest person on the court but I’m playing like a grown man. After getting the W I really felt good and I started catching the attention of the other hoopers. I got a few more games that day then went home. When I showed up the following day, this tall guy recognized me from the previous day and asked me to run on his team. He introduced himself as John… but I kept hearing people call him “Strick”. I played on John’s team that whole summer… and we got a chance to establish a level of mutual respect for each other on the court. He was a tyrant on the court but Once you got to know him he is probably one of the funniest guys on the planet.
John Strickland made sure he touched every tournament in NYC. Here he is at Pro City which at the time was being held at Hunter College. Photo courtesy of John Strickland Facebook
Fast forward a few years and now I’m heavy into the Streetball culture. In my neck of the woods, The Kingdome Tournament was one of the best in the business. The rosters were full of Streetball legends, NBA and overseas pros and there was no place you would rather be at the time. This one particular day I notice my guy John suited up and balling at the Kingdome. I had no idea that the guy that I played pickup with in Central Park was “Big Strick” the NYC Streetball Legend. He was one of the most charismatic people you could ever meet. Right hand. Left Hand. Right Hand. Left Hand. Big Strick was unstoppable on the block and gave the crowd a show every time he stepped on the court. He would sometimes let me roll with him when he had games at Hoops in the Sun. He would crack jokes for the whole ride.
Big Strick always put on a show for the crowd. It didn’t matter if there were 5 or 5,000 people at the park, he always gave 110% effort. Photo courtesy of John Strickland Facebook/ Kingdome Huncho
When Jay Z said “My homey Strick told me, ‘Dude, finish your breakfast.” on a track from his Black Album, John couldn’t be happier. You could see it on his face. He always would tell me that “success is not for the lazy”, and I live by those words today. John played in every tournament in the city and at every venue, he poured his soul into every single possession. He was the ultimate competitor. Strick spent more than 10 years playing overseas and even earned himself an invite to the Knicks training camp in 1996. All of which I found out after realizing exactly who John “The Franchise” Strickland was.
Strickland was able to earn a tryout with his beloved hometown NY Knicks. Photo courtesy of NY Post
When I got the news of his passing I was devastated. He was working for the Halifax Rainmen of the Premier Basketball League as Director of Basketball Operations and died in his sleep at age 38. Coming to a realization that he was gone was a hard pill to swallow. This simply crushed the NYC Basketball world and there is still a huge void that he left and would never be filled. He meant so much to the basketball community and his name will be forever be held up with the greats in my book. Rest In Peace JOHN “THE FRANCHISE” STRICKLAND ??????.
***Cover Photography courtesy of BigStrickClassic.com
