SF’s Panhandle Basketball Courts Reopen, Freshly Repaved in Warriors Colors
San Francisco’s renowned basketball courts in the Panhandle are once again open Wednesday, after being closed for renovations through the end of September.
The Nate Thurmond Panhandle basketball courts closed temporarily in August after a $100,000 dollar investment from the city, the Golden State Community Foundation and the Good Tidings Foundation, according to a spokesperson for the city’s department of Parks and Recreation.
Basketball lovers will enjoy new hoops, rims, and an entirely resurfaced court decorated in fresh blue and yellow paint — an homage to the Golden State Warriors player and the courts’ namesake, Nate Thurmond.
The late great Thurmond lived in the neighborhood while playing for the Warriors in the ’60s and ’70s. The NBA Hall of Famer’s jersey number, 42, was retired by the team and is now hand-painted in yellow at center court.
“He was the only one to block Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook shot,” said Kevin Carpenter, a San Francisco resident who said he used to hoop at the courts “a long time ago.”
Carpenter, who exercises at the adjacent outdoor gym, said he’s excited to see the lively Saturday pickup games return to the Panhandle.
“Everybody’s really nice, very competitive,” Carpenter said.
“We’re all homies off the court, but on the court we’ll let each other know when [someone] isn’t playing defense or getting rebounds,” said John McCormick, a regular at the Panhandle courts.
McCormick said people from all over the Bay Area come to play pickup basketball.
For the past six years, he’s helped to organize a basketball tournament at the courts where, according to McCormick, “Some of the best hoopers in the city and the Bay come out.”
McCormick’s organization, Panhandlehoops, received money from the Civic Joy Fund to help organize the tournament this year — which will be held on Oct. 24. The group meets every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to play ball.
McCormick said people have competed in basketball tournaments at the Panhandle courts for decades, and he wants to keep the tradition alive.
“The elders and OGs that used to hoop at the court still come out and just hang out. It’s like a real community thing,” McCormick said.
Before the pickup games return, the courts will see a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony on Wednesday, attended by Marci Thurmond, Thurmond’s wife, and Warriors alum Kelenna Azubuike. Afterward, the Golden State Sports Academy will host a basketball clinic for local youth.