NYC Basketball Courts

Popular places to play include Holcombe Rucker Park Basketball Courts, Monsignor Kett Playground (Dyckman) Basketball Courts (Dyckman Park), West 4th Street Courts (The Cage) and Howard Bennett Playground Basketball Courts. We list 906 locations in NYC with 1,804 courts: 588 in public parks, 55 with an indoor option, and 49 with lights.

Holcombe Rucker Park, at 2930 Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem, is one of New York's most famous streetball courts. Monsignor Kett Playground, at 500 West 204th Street in Inwood, was called Dyckman Playground for decades and is still known by that name. The West 4th Street Courts at 320 6th Avenue in Greenwich Village are home to "the Cage," a smaller-than-regulation court known for intense pickup games and a yearly tournament that draws players from around the world.

Public recreation center gyms are the main free or low-cost option: Howard Bennett Playground Basketball Courts, Alfred E. Smith Playground Basketball Court and Jackie Robinson Park Basketball Court, plus 19 more. Some are free to drop in, others need a rec center membership or ID card, and open-gym hours vary, so call before you go.

588 parks in NYC have basketball courts. The biggest include Marine Park Basketball Courts, Baisley Pond Park Basketball Courts and Riverside Park Basketball Courts. Park courts are free and first-come, first-served.

49 locations have lights, including Brigadier General Charles Young Playground Basketball Courts, Each One Teach One Basketball Courts and Riverbank State Park Basketball Courts. Lights usually follow park hours, so check what's posted on site.

Private gyms such as Asphalt Green Battery Park City and Asphalt Green Upper East Side take bookings or memberships. For a public gym, ask the recreation center directly: rental policies vary by city.

250 of the locations here are at schools. Most schools close their grounds during school hours and don't publish public-use times, so park courts are the safer bet.