Fox Playground

NYC PARKS JOINS BROOKLYN NETS AND NEW YORK LIBERTY TO CELEBRATE BASKETBALL COURT IMPROVEMENTS IN THREE BROOKLYN NEIGHBORHOODS

In partnership with NYC Parks, the $1.4M investment upgrades courts in neighborhoods with acute levels of gun violence as part of the Social Justice Fund’s racial justice initiative

Today, NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue joined Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty owner--as well as founder of the Social Justice Fund--Clara Wu Tsai, City Council Member Farah Louis, and members of the community at Fox Playground to celebrate the renovation of basketball courts in three parks throughout Brooklyn. The renovated basketball courts have been upgraded with new rims and backboards, improved playing surfaces, and vibrant murals honoring the Liberty and Nets, beautifying the spaces and creating a safe environment for youth recreation.

In addition to Fox Playground in Flatlands, the project includes renovations to basketball courts at the Breukelen Ballfields in East New York and in Sunset Park. The three sites were selected in consultation with NYC Parks as part of the Social Justice Fund’s racial justice initiative. By targeting these investments in neighborhoods with acute levels of gun violence, as well as in the Social Justice Fund’s corporate backyard of Sunset Park, NYC Parks and the Social Justice Fund aim to provide a new resource for local gun violence prevention initiatives. Anti-gun violence programming will be provided at the courts by Foster Park Sports, expanding healthy and safe opportunities for local youth.

“It is so important that young New Yorkers have safe venues for staying active, having healthy fun, and building community," said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. "Thanks to the generous support of the Social Justice Fund, these beautifully refurbished basketball courts can serve as lively community spaces for Brooklynites in Flatlands, Sunset Park, and East New York. This project is a great demonstration of our commitment at Parks to providing safe and accessible public spaces for New Yorkers of all ages across the five boroughs, especially in historically underserved neighborhoods."

“Basketball is part of the fabric of our borough," said Clara Wu Tsai, Vice Chair of BSE Global and owner of the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty. "Basketball courts are more than just a place to hoop; they’re spaces for young people to discover the power – and joy – of teammanship, collaboration, shared victories, and belonging.”

This project was funded by $1.4M from the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation’s Social Justice Fund. Work at the Breukelen Ballfields is anticipated to be completed in Fall 2023; renovations at Fox Playground and Sunset Park have already been completed.