The development of the first all-professional summer basketball league by Bob McCullough Sr. and former NBA standout Freddie Crawford spurred dynamic play that prompted other leagues to pop up around the U.S. and the world. It also helped foster a culture that included sneaker trends and relationships with major corporate brands.
Mobil Oil sponsored the early tournament, along with Schaefer Beer, Coke, Stroh’s, Rémy and Pro-Keds. Pony was also a sponsor. It wasn’t the most popular shoe at the time, but its crisp white high-top — with a style distinct from Converse, the preeminent sneaker brand of the 1970s and early ’80s worn by NBA and Rucker star Julius Erving — caught a lot of attention. The sharp V-shaped logo looked neat and stylish. The Rucker was assuredly the best-dressed tournament, with players in red shirts and low-cut red Ponys.
I remember another shoe company that tried to get off the ground called Lotto. You could swap out different colored L’s on the sneaker to create a new look with the same shoe. The idea came from hip-hop B-boys, who changed their shoelace colors to match their Lee jeans and complete the outfit of the day. Levi’s were expensive, so teenagers thought, “Okay, I can afford some Lee jeans, right?” The Lotto brand took a cue from the culture and tried it at Rucker Park.
There was an avalanche of high-level sponsorships for basketball tournaments and special events that the Rucker spurred — among them, the National Summer Basketball Championships. The founders knew the wider attention came from the intense league coverage by writers such as the Amsterdam News’ Les Matthews, who Bob Sr. says was the first to report on the league.
The innovative developments that sprouted from this new era in basketball would have a unique imprint on the growth of basketball culture.
Next year, we hope to see the Rucker legacy nominated for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. It’s long overdue.
This is legendary.