New York Post

FULL-COURT MESS!

B'klyn ballers: Slippery 'Space Jam' paint job is a ...

- By KATHIANNE BONIELLO

It’s sheer Looney-cy! A Williamsbu­rg basketball court’s new paint job promoting the sequel to the live-action/animated ’90s movie “Space Jam” has made the surface dangerousl­y slippery, dejected b-ballers griped.

“It’s like an ice rink,” said Oliver Reyes, 13, one of the players who fell on the Looney Tunes-themed court at Rodney Park North. “It just makes it harder to play.”

Warner Bros., working with the city Parks Department through a program called Creative Courts, aided in the makeover, which saw the court repaved and repainted with classic cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny and Tweety Bird.

But since the colorful surface reopened on Aug. 1, hoopsters have been wondering, “What’s up, doc?” the Brooklyn Paper reported.

“Once you’re on it, you know you can’t run fast, or spin,” Victor Diaz, 42 told The Post. “You knew you were going to fall.”

“If you have ever played basketball before, you know your sneakers need to stick like glue,” said Raheem Rasin, 36, who works nearby.

Instead, players felt like they were playing after a rainstorm.

“It’s slippery, it felt as if it was very wet, and you could fall. I thought maybe it was my sneakers, I went and changed and came back to no effect,” said James Orta, 29. “You can’t really get a good game going.”

On Thursday, the city stepped in to say, “That’s all, folks,” and shuttered the court.

The next day, the court was closed off with metal fencing.

The city admitted the problem was caused by a clear topcoat it had applied over the mural.

“After reviewing this case, it appears that the applicatio­n of the topcoat in this instance did not have the desired effect. We are reapplying the topcoat to correct the issue,” said Parks spokeswoma­n Anessa Hodgson.

Depending on the weather, Hodgson said, the city plans to have the court fixed by the end of this coming week.

The court was the only one out of 16 tennis and basketball courts refurbishe­d under the program that the city has received complaints about, added Hodgson, who would not disclose the cost.

The original “Space Jam” paired Michael Jordan with a team of Looney Tunes characters. The sequel, starring LeBron James, is due in summer 2021.

 ??  ?? TWEETY BURNED: Warner Bros. teamed with the Parks Department to cover this court at Rodney Park North with a “Space Jam” motif, but as Oliver Reyes (right) says, it’s like hooping on “an ice rink.”
TWEETY BURNED: Warner Bros. teamed with the Parks Department to cover this court at Rodney Park North with a “Space Jam” motif, but as Oliver Reyes (right) says, it’s like hooping on “an ice rink.”

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