UPTOWNflavor

Rucker’s Park isn’t the only uptown court of champions. Farther north at 204th and Nagle at the Monsignor Kett playground, NBA champions and hopefuls alike perform to the beat of hip hop provided by a DJ.

“For a D.J., working a basketball game is the biggest challenge there is, especially basketball in uptown Manhattan,” said Mr. Fremond, the man behind the 1,600-watt sound system pumping out hip-hop at courtside for these flashy weeknight games where players range from high school phenoms looking to catch the eye of college scouts to N.B.A. stars looking to stay sharp during the summer.

“On a dance floor, if you’re losing the crowd, you have time to change things up,” he said. “But with players on a court, I have to make split-second decisions. You can definitely change the outcome of a game depending on what you decide to play, because the players feed off the music and the crowd. If the music’s not hitting, everyone loses interest and the game might as well be over.”

Read the full article and watch accompanying video on The The New York Times.