Last Thursday morning, a multitude of basketball icons, including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers and Knicks champions Earl Monroe and former United States Senator Bill Bradley, Mel Davis, John Starks, Stephon Marbury, and Long Island University men’s basketball head coach Rod Strickland, along with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, gathered at the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School in the South Bronx for the dedication of a new $39.5 million, 69,000-square-foot building.
The Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School is the first public charter high school in the country with a focus on exposing and preparing students for careers associated with basketball.
ESPN broadcaster Mike Greenberg served as master of ceremonies. Other notable figures in attendance were Peabody Award-winning filmmaker and playwright Dan Klores and comedian/actor Tracy Morgan.
“First of all, I’d like to say welcome home, guys; it’s been a long time coming,” Monroe said to the school’s students, educators, and guests. “I’ve been involved with this since 2012, and we started talking about this … and look what we’ve done in that span of time. I’d like to just say it’s great to be here.”
Monroe then thanked his wife Marita, sister Teresa, daughters Maya and Daniell, niece Tijuana, grandsons Champ and Monroe, and great-grandson Noah.
Ground was broken on the construction of the new five-story building at 153rd Street and 3rd Avenue in 2024 when former Knicks All-Star forward and current Brooklyn Nets starter Julius Randle was a contributor to the initiative.
“The most important thing about this is that we’ve got this great building, and the most important thing about this building is you guys,” Monroe said, speaking directly to students. “I just want to let you know how proud I am to be a part of this, for my name to be on this school, and not only for me just to be a basketball player, but for me to be known somewhat about education.”
The 81-year-old Monroe was born and raised in Philadelphia and first gained fame on the courts of South Philadelphia before a legendary college career at HBCU Winston-Salem State. “Earl the Pearl,” as he was commonly known, was the 1968 NBA Rookie of the Year and five years later formed one of basketball’s all-time great backcourts with Walt “Clyde” Frazier in helping lead the Knicks to the 1973 NBA title.
“I want to thank Earl for inviting me today to this celebration,” said Bradley, also a member of the memorable 1973 squad, “because that is what it is. It’s not only a celebration of Dan Klores and his great team and all those people that helped raise the money and all the teachers that are here, but it’s a celebration of each of you, and it comes with a little obligation.”
That obligation was a challenge for the school’s students. “If you wanna say, ‘I went to Earl Monroe,’ then you not only have to do well in the time you’re at Earl Monroe, but you’re gonna wanna take what you learned here and take it on to college and on to even more,” Bradley said. “I think the ambition of this school is what is exciting to see: you guys making it happen out there, having confidence that you can advance, that you can learn, that you can grow …”
