The Dr. Once Came to W. 4th with Larry K & Wendall Ladner,

The Dr. Once Came to W. 4th with Larry K & Wendall Ladner,
by dillon77 (2020-05-20 14:48:26)
Edited on 2020-05-20 14:50:26

In reply to: Dr. J would occasionally show up posted by SB Jimbo

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Two guys -- the dr. and Mr. K -- with 'fros and jumping ability to the skies and the Burt Reynolds of the ABA, who protected those two day in, day out.

I had played that morning and went somewhere, but my friends who stayed said it was wild...within one hour, the place/block was jam-packed. I'm sure the Rucker gang came down and the Brooklyn guys came over. He said the Erving-Kenon-Ladner team didn't lose -- if any team came close, any one of the three would turn it on.

Ladner may have been paid to be an enforcer, but he could play before he died in that airline crash. Man, there's a name I never thought I'd type again....

I wish that there were videos of some of those outdoor games

in NYC from that era. There seem to be fewer major basketball talents coming from the city these days. Is that just my perception from 800 miles away or is it reality?

Who would have thought that a Sonia Citron article would lead us down a rabbit hole where we find... Wendell Ladner, the Burt Reynolds of the ABA. To bring it back to NDWBB, let's hope that Niele can find the Larry Kenon of women's basketball.