Story by Chris Brooklier
Photos by Branden Andersen

Tennis shoes squeaking, arms waving, baskets swishing. Confusion. These words provide some insight on what pickup basketball looks like. Basketball is one of the most popular activities in America and courts are always packed across the country. However, it’s rare to find players that really understand the game and know how to play it correctly.
Pickup basketball is so unique that it should be considered a different sport than organized basketball. There are no setting of picks, which is an attempt to prevent a defender from guarding a teammate by standing in the defender’s way. This eliminates an effective way to separate space from your defender. In all types of basketball it is necessary to use the entire floor for equal spacing. Without sufficient spacing, there are clusters of players in one spot and it’s harder to run plays and easier to defend. There is also a lack of fundamentals, partly having to due with the wide-open style of the NBA today. In pickup, there are different players playing every game, resulting in no team chemistry or synergy. There are various personalities involved and it’s difficult to get in tune with everyone and be able to mesh.
In pickup basketball, there are archetypes for almost every type of player. There’s the tiny quick guy, the three point shooter, the big man that thinks he’s a point guard, and the unskilled/uncoordinated player that relies on  height alone to score. There’s also the player with an inflated ego who shoots whenever possible. Lastly there’s the player that calls a foul at any sight of contact. These archetypes are seen constantly in pickup.
They also influence the way the game is played. In pickup, there is no motion or cutting; everyone stays on the perimeter and just tries to prove how good they are. Every player hovers around the three-point line because there are no post players that play down low. This happens for three main reasons. First, players that play pickup basketball aren’t abnormally tall so everyone grows up learning to play on the outside. Second, when kids begin to play basketball, they need an example on how to play and a style to shape their game around. When kids are growing up and learning to play basketball why would they strive to be like the Big Fundamental, Tim Duncan, when they can emulate high-flying, exciting players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan?
Lastly, in the past ten years, there has an influx of European players into the NBA, which by influencing that organization also changes pickup basketball. Today international players make up approximately twenty percent of NBA rosters. International players are generally known for their soft, finesse play. This has revolutionized the game in the NBA from more rugged to more wide open. Today in the NBA dominating big man are few and far between, with Dwight Howard, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Kevin Love being some of the few examples. Such changes influence how those watching learn the game, indirectly shaping pickup.
There is a reason why teams rule over stars in the NBA. A perfect example is the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James. Widely considered the best player in the NBA, James won back-to-back MVP trophies in the 2009 and 2010 season. However, he had no one else on his team that could complement him and thus could never win a championship. The Celtics were the exact opposite. In 2009, they were a perfect collection of players together, and while everyone thought they were too old, they all fit well together. Ray Allen was the shooter and Kevin Garnett the heart and soul of the team as the inside presence and best defender. Paul Pierce had the all-around game and took the ball at the end of the game, and Kendrick Perkins was the inside force that did all the dirty work. So while none of these players are even close to being as good as James, they played as a team and won the championship.
Simply put, the culture of pickup basketball is based solely on individualism, much to my disdain. This makes basketball less aesthetically pleasing both to play and to watch; a real shame since it’s a beautiful sport when played properly. Pickup basketball players should take a few pointers and stop playing like the Cavaliers and start playing like the Celtics.

Gallery • 2 Photos

What It Takes to Play Pickup