BasketBall City being forced out of its home

After nine years at Pier 63 on W. 23rd St., BasketBall City is being forced out of its home on Friday and it does not have another location lined up.
The owners of the facility, which has six basketball courts that are used by corporate leagues and school children, have known all along that they’d have to move when the city was ready to start work on the Hudson River Park project.

But the owners held out-and even filed for bankruptcy in June to stave off eviction-until the last minute.

Bankruptcy Judge Burton Lifland of the Southern District of New York ordered BasketBall City to pack up and leave on Sept. 1.

Bruce Radler, a partner in the sports facility, says he is in talks with the city to find a new location, but he does not expect to land a space until early next year. “We’ll easily lose 50% of our revenue,” he says.

In the meantime, BasketBall City will continue to run some of its corporate and youth leagues renting space in an ad hoc consortium of school gyms.

by Lisa Fickenscher

Crains NY