Bobbito’s Book of B-Ball Bong Bong! // A Memoir of Sports, Style, and Soul

Basketball on New York City’s 700+ outdoor courtswas bubbling during the seventies and eighties and coincided with the birth of hip-hop and sneaker culture. Bobbito Garca came of age during this era and caught an uncontrollable fever to be a ballplayer, witnessing firsthand the gumbo of sports, music, and fashion in the local parks.

The game influenced his style, language, movement, creative thought, and, in a personal manner, his well-being. He couldn’t go anywhere without a ball in his hand, practice shorts under his pants, and kicks on his feet, ready for action at any point, any day (including his first job interview).

In the 1990s, Bobbito became a world-famous hip-hop radio host as well as the progenitor of sneaker journalism, but his world never stopped revolving around living and breathing at every local court he could find. Simultaneously, the outdoor basketball aesthetic emerged as a force in the sports/entertainment/footwear industry, a catalyst to market authenticity when a brand wanted to garner street credibility. Bobbito stood firmly at this cross section of subcultures, not only as a historian, photographer, writer, filmmaker, and active participant, but as a curator of the shift itself. Advertising legend John Jay, former global creative director at Wieden+Kennedy, called Garca his “cultural DJ” after they collaborated on Nike’s groundbreaking “NYC City Attack” ad campaign. The lifestyle of the park pickup player, now exposed, went on to impact the world, and the ripple effect could even be seen on the hardwood floors of the NBA.

In 2013, theNew York Timesreferred to Bobbito as “an ardent ambassador for New York City street basketball.” This book is an intimate view into his life as a ballplayer, announcer, and performer. It doubles as a profound document for the unspoken folklore and history of the outdoor game, while speaking volumes to the roots of Garca’s favorite pastime–putting up jumpers and getting busy with the rock in his hands. In his words:Basketball is a religion. The park is my church . . .

Bobbito Garca a New York City native, is a visionary creative who has put an indelible footprint on multiple urban movements. As the progenitor of “sneaker journalism,” he penned his landmarkSourcearticle “Confessions of a Sneaker Addict” in 1990, then in 2003 became the critically acclaimed author ofWhere’d You Get Those? NYC’s Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987.Garca also wrote the foreword forA History of Basketball in Fifteen Sneakers,and contributed an essay and photography toCity/Game: Basketball in New York.During the 1990s, the legendary on-air personality was one half ofThe Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Showon WKCR; in 2023, the duo was inducted into the NAB Radio Hall of Fame. Garca has since had a diverse career in entertainment, hosting programs for ESPN and NBATV, performing in Nike’s landmark “Freestyle” ad, voicing EA Sports’s popularNBA Streetvideo game, and directing several documentaries, includingDoin’ It in the Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC. Garca aka “Kool Bob Love,” currently produces his 1-on-5 basketball tournament, FC21, in thirty international locations, and is the proud author of a children’s book,Aim High, Little Giant, Aim High!For more information, visit www.koolboblove.com.

• Publisher: Edge of Sports
• Publish Date: July 01, 2025
• Pages: 216
• Dimensions: 7.5 X 9.2 X 1.0 inches | 1.7 pounds
• Language: English
• Type: Hardcover
• EAN/UPC: 9781636142302
• BISAC Categories: Sports, Basketball