Yahoo Sports recreates iconic street courts at All-Star weekend

As Team Durant and Team LeBron faced off Sunday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Yahoo Sports shed a spotlight on the places where many legendary players got their start — some of the most iconic street courts in the world.

To celebrate the NBA’s 75th anniversary, Yahoo Sports debuted “The First Bounce”: a first-of-its kind immersive experience that allowed thousands of basketball fans to travel back in time and stand where their heroes stood before they were stars. Using 360-degree projections, Yahoo Sports recreated four courts, from four different decades, which teleported fans to basketball culture during the 1960s to 90s.

75th Anniversary Team members Isiah Thomas and Clyde Drexler, WNBA legend Nancy Lieberman, and Godfather of Streetball Kenn Hicks provided voiceover as the experience revealed the music, culture and legendary stories of the times. The activation launched at NBA Crossover, the tentpole fan event at All-Star weekend.

“I would say in Chicago, there was a sacredness about how you played the game. And the one thing that was always talked about is the saying, you play as you live, right? You play as you live. You live right, you play right,” NBA All-Star Isiah Thomas told Yahoo Sports of growing up at Jackson Park.

“All the best players used to converge on MacGregor Park. And so it was an institution … people would go in and have picnics and they’d watch us play or the best players play. And it was a show,” said Clyde Drexler of memories at MacGregor Park, before the NBA All-Star was famous.

Basketball legends such as Julius Erving, Joe Hammond and Nancy Lieberman got their starts here.

The Venice Beach Courts are one of the most iconic playgrounds in the world, and the birthplace of The National Outdoor Basketball Championship, a tournament that brought together local legends and NBA stars, including Kobe Bryant.

“Yahoo Sports is a proud partner of the NBA, and we’re thrilled to celebrate the league’s 75th anniversary with a first-of-its-kind experience that brings basketball fans closer than ever to the game they love,” said Jo Lambert, Head of Consumer at Yahoo. “'The First Bounce' is an innovative way for Yahoo Sports to honor the names and stories that influenced the game over the past decades and will continue to do so for years to come.”

Fans at home can experience it themselves by checking out exclusive video footage, photos and interviews and playlists at yahoo.com/firstbounce.