Members Only: Nike Opens Exclusive Basketball Court in NYC

NBA fans across the nation were concerned last fall when there were threats that the whole season would be lost due to a major disagreement between team owners and players on a new collective bargaining agreement. Things finally got worked out and now basketball fans can get massive doses of the stuff on a nightly basis.

On Manhattan’s Lower East Side, some folks are getting to extend that love all year round, thanks to a Nike-sponsored renovation of the crumbling gymnasium in a 1,100-residence coop building, the Masaryk. Named for a prime minister-elect of Czechoslovakia who was killed by defenestration — pushed out of a window, back home — in 1948, the building now boasts one of the most incredible gyms available in a New York residential building, as paid for and installed by Nike as part of its #MakeItCount pro-social effort.

As Sneaker News notes, hoops fans can’t just pull on their Jordans and head over to the place. It is invite-only until April and then, Bowery Boogie reports, “the Towers are left with a brand-spankin’ new facility.”

Sneaker News describes the court as follows: “This invite-only basketball space allows attendees to show up in street-clothes, with Nike providing all the necessary gear for an energizing b-ball session with its three on-site trainers. Access to the Masaryk is given to select individuals, with appointments made with the Masaryk concierge, and if you are one of the lucky members that have a coveted pass to check out the space, you can bring up to 19 of your pals.” Sweet.