"I wasn't a Knicks fan growing up. Didn't do any of that Madison Square Garden stuff,"
"I was actually a Cleveland fan back then, for real. It's crazy. Things really worked out well."
"'I loved it back then,' he reflects. 'You wake up in the morning, you go outside, and you don't come back until late at night. Your mom asks what you were out doing all day, and I'd just say: 'I was at the park, just hoopin'.' 'I grew up playing ball atHarlem Park on 135th. St. Nicolas Park was probably the park I went to the most. The Black Park, in St. Nicolas projects. It's called that because it's got black gates. You had Tri-State on 145th and Lennox. And you have the iconic Rucker Park, of course.'"
Nae'Quan Tomlin will play on opening night at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks and expects friends and family to attend. He may see extra minutes due to team injuries. Tomlin grew up in Harlem on 134th between Lenox Ave. and 7th Ave. and spent his childhood playing basketball at Harlem Park, St. Nicolas Park, Tri-State and the iconic Rucker Park. He focused intently on basketball as a child, often staying out all day to hoop. Tomlin supported Cleveland as a youth rather than the Knicks and was introduced to Rucker Commissioner Steve Barnett as his passion was noticed.
Read at Cleveland Cavaliers On SI
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