by Ben Osborne / @bosborne17
The news spread like wildfire throughout the internet yesterday: NYC Streetball legend John Strickland, who was working for the Halifax Rainmen of the Premier Basketball League, died in his sleep Wednesday night at age 38. It may draw our occasional contributor Matt Caputo, a big fan of Strick’s, to bring his “Too Real for the League” blog out of retirement with a tribute column this weekend, but in the meantime, the New York Post has a nice story about Strickland, which includes these details:
Strickland’s reach goes so far that even Miami Heat star Lebron James mourned his passing on his Twitter account saying: “R.I.P to homie Strick.”Finish Your Breakfast”. Roc Boyz in the building.” Strickland was mentioned in Jay-Z’s hit song Public Service Announcement in the line: “No one can do it better. I check cheddar like a food inspector. My homey Strick told me, ‘Dude, finish your breakfast.'” The 6-foot-8 forward, who was currently in the Halifax Rainmen’s front office as their Director of Basketball Development, was considered one of the best players ever in streetball. As a low-post wizard and a superb passer, he once averaged more than 40 points per game at Nike Pro City, considered the circuit’s primer league. Strickland became the first person to win a title there as a player and a coach when he led Gold’s Gym to the championship this summer.
RIP, Strick.
