A lot of cities in the USA have stories like these. In the late 80s i moved from Detroit to Lansing. I lived 4 blocks from St. Cecelia where Pros came to play in the summer...so i know greatness when i see it. Anyways I run across thiis one Brother named Forrest Bouyer.about 6 feet.. Vertical was 45 inches...He was so dominant he could take any 4 guys and beat any 5 guys. saw him one time embarrass a starting Junior college team...with me and 3 other guys. Good thing about his story. The streets lost him...he went back to school...graduated at 28 and now is a successful Financial advisor and there arent too many brothers in that field. Saw him the other day at a Pro Am basketball game...hes got a limp now..hes 56......but damn he could play. Much like all Playground legends u had to see him play...and even then u couldn't believe what u saw sometimes. league Advisor
Another one to look up is Ronnie Fields, Chicago Farragut. Played w Kevin Garnett. I had the honor of playing against him in HS. He was never the same after accident.
I used to play against Ronnie in pick-up games in Lombard. NBA level athlete. But only 6'2" in shoes. Not the best ball handler or shooter. I also got to meet the people around Ronnie, who were not what he needed to succeed. Then the car accident. Saw him in the CBA, where he had some good years. But that sexual assault case did not help his reputation with NBA teams. If only he could have avoided the car accident. He probably would have been NBA drafted in 1996. Maybe he would have made it. But maybe not.
Another one was Bill Spivey. 7-footer in the early 1950's, played at Kentucky. Got accused I'm the point-shaving scandal of that period and was blackballed from the NBA. Spivey swore to his dying day he never did it, and stays for the specific games tend to support that. The prosecutor didn't care if he actually did or not. This is the same time frame as Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. People said he was as good as them, who knows? He played an exhibition game versus Wilt when Chamberlain was with Philadelphia, I think. Newspaper reports and stats said it was a wash between them.
I remember Ronnie Fields. I had a really close friend who was a referee in Chicago HS games. I'd go with him to see teams he told me I should see. I saw Garnett and Fields that way. I also saw others who ended up pros. Like seeing a 6'0 tall point guard named Patrick Beverley, who was a spectacular HS player, then an All SEC player at Arkansas, and today, nearly 20 years after I saw him in HS, he is still in the NBA, playing this year for the Sixers.
Facts. Ronnie Fileds was the 2nd coldest in that 96 class after Kobe Bryant. Not to mention the greatest ever from the state of Illinois Ben Wilson aka Benji.
The greatest in every sport most likely never played professionally. The fastest man. The highest jumper. The strongest. The most agile. The best arm. The best shooter. The best hands. The best feet. And so on and so on.
This story reminded me of the best basketball player I ever played against. Around 1980. It was in North Carolina’s Central Prison in Raleigh in a tournament where outside teams came there to play. The player was just called “Hollywood”. About 6’-3”. The last play he made against us he came down on fast break with ball, palmed it, fake pass to right then passed it to team mate under basket, hitting him in the head. Third quarter, coach removed him from game. 57 points. He was in prison for armed robbery. His prison mates worshipped him. Never saw or heard about him since.
Wow. I live in North Carolina and it would be real interesting to find out who that was. I'd be willing to bet some high school and or college scouts/ coaches know of him. Especially in a basketball -rich State like this
NYC got some ballers but kids in some parts of NC and other states with rural areas don't have anything else to do but ball. So if y'all New Yorker's want the smoke c'mon down. There's always a kid neglected and this is his escape. And he's going to be nice and not say a word. But when y'all start the talking he'll be gladly bust yo azz and still be nice to you.
To me his purpose in life was to show people that even as gifted as he was at basketball.....his real purpose was to show young people that you can overcome your addiction..... Much love.....I too have overcome my addiction to heroin .....rip to the real goat of recovery ✌️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏
Don’t agree with your assessment. He had the skill , but for whatever reason he made bad moral choices that eventually cost him a potentially good career, providence does not provide you with such skill, just to screw it up, and then claim otherwise. He screwed up .
I had a good friend who played on Manigault's high school team, and the stories he told me about Earl. My friend has passed away too, but you can tell that the things that were said about Goat were true. He caused a lot of excitement in Harlem, even to this day he is respected as the number 1 street legend coming out of NY.
Kareem Abdul Jabber is the greatest to ever play in the NBA. Not one of the greatest. He set that record at a time when there was no three point line. If there was no three point line today that record would be flat out unbreakable. Let that sink in. If he never changed his name to Kareem Abdul Jabber there would be a statue of him in front of the Staples Center bigger than Kim Johns in N. Korea.
In my opinion, the reasons why you likely never heard of many of these men are the following: basketball wasn't truly a passion, their attitudes toward structure and conformity, or the street life was too strong in them. Even Magic Johnson once said that many of the guys he played with growing up were better than he was.
Or it just wasn’t their only passion. I mean think if Lebron had decided to play football instead - which he absolutely could have. Kareem’s record would still stand, and people would still be arguing MJ or Kobe…
@@ericburton1244If Kareem came straight out of HS like LeBron and made a few three point shots, the scoring record would STILL stand, just like if Pistol Pete played 4 yrs of college with a 3 point shot THAT record would still stand.
I knew a lot of Earl Manigault older than me and younger than me and I tried to reach out to the younger ones but then streets had a stronger hold on them and it's sad
Charles Chism is a person that I grew up with that was an extremely talented athlete that excelled in basketball. In fact he excelled in all sports but like Manigault drugs and poor academics kept him off the radar. I'm sure there's a lot of sad stories like this for every successful one.
@@derrickwilliamson4276 how do you know him? His mom married my cousin Abraham Dickens and we were classmates in Jr. High and high school many years ago.
There are tons of unsuccessful stories to each successful one. Allen Iverson could had easily been one, but with a caring mother who helped seek out the best help for her son made his life a dream come true.
Earl lived on 111st between Lenox and 8th ave.i played basketball tournaments at west 4st, Guacho,, King Towers, and few others. I came off the bench. But the experience was fun.
So true…idk about the Earl part but the next MJ, a better MJ, whatever, is or was bagging groceries instead of playing in the NBA. WE ALL can name that guy right now if called upon to do so. Everyone’s seen one in their time. -Mine was named Ezekiel Ellis. Zeke. Had to tape the top of his left shoe so he’d know left from right. But could spring spring!! Had a beautiful athleticism, smooth, natural, strong as Zion, and fast as you’ll ever see. Expelled from school in 10th grade. Was a FREAK tho.
Kareem didn’t claim him as the GOAT, but calling him GOAT was referring to his nickname. Kareem said he was best player his size in NYC history. Manigault had NO scholarship offers from Duke and Carolina. He went to Laurinburg to improve his grades so he go to JC Smith. If you cannot play organized ball, you can’t be called the greatest. His athleticism was incredible and legendary, but that doesn’t make him the greatest hooper of all team.
I was raised in harlem almost 40 years now granted earl was one of the best street ball players ever. I spoke earl before he passed away and he told their was nobody in harlem,the bronx or brooklyn that could stop joe hammond. This came out of earls mouth.
I grew up with a buddy who lettered in basketball and football in high school. He received offers from multiple colleges, visited a few of them, had it narrowed down to two, then got caught selling cocaine. Got locked up and never took advantage of the opportunities he had been given. Sad.
Earl MANIGAULT was the number one Street legend, ANYWHERE!!! MJ nor Magic could ever beat him, one on one!!! It was TOO MANY GUYS BACK THEN THAT WERE TRULLY GREAT IN THE STEEETS!!! AND I'M ONE OF THEM!!! Earl #1 i call him, could soar over any player he wanted too!! Plus he didn't NEED A RUNNING START TO DUNK OVER ANYONE!!! Yes,he could shoot and defend and all else!!! He could easily get to the top of the backboard!!! He could soar!!!!! Drugs brought him down and keeping bad company!!! I accosted him on 8th ave in HARLEM,all strung out and asked, him why?? Why was he destroying himself!!!! Earl of ElBarrio,NYC,NY. 6/8/24
Heard a lot of stories about the GOAT growing up in that area. The dude is a street legend that is unparalleled. There are a few real street legends in New York. Pearl Washington, Earl Monroe, Connie Hawkins. Dr. J. come the closest but this guy is a true street legend.
For every Michael Jordan, there are 1000 Earls. Every sport is littered with what-ifs, but, that's sort of the thing: in order to be the *actual* GOAT, you have to overcome the what-if. That may come down to luck and opportunity, but, that's life.
Luck isn’t shIt without accountability. Opportunities come up in everyone’s lives but you have to seize the moment and handle business for them to become anything. Jordan had an incredibly competitive drive, accountability and an inhuman work ethic. He put in the work.
@satchelito1514 there's a saying in poker: it's not the cards you're dealt, it's how you play them. That's true, but it's a lot easier to play aces than it is to play 7-2.
No disrespect but every level has their GOAT's. But if you you didn't reach the top, you can't make the claim. Thousands of playground legends who dont even make a high school team... high school phenoms that flame out in college... college stars who cant hang in the pros... guys who make the NBA and never even crack the rotation. Always remember; "everybody is the man in their own hood."
Earl wasn’t the one supposedly snatching money off the top of backboards…that was Jumpin’ Jackie Jackson. Remember in the movie “Rebound” when Earl blocked Wilt Chamberlain’s shot by pinning it to the backboard? Well, Earl didn’t do that either…that was Jumpin’ Jackie too. 🤷🏾♀️
You are a true basketball man it was Jumpin Jackie Jackson and he played with the team called Brooklyn which features Connie Hawkins and Eddie Simmons. And Eddie Simmons was another guy who was a great guard never got his due
I lived on jackie Johnson’s block in Brooklyn on Putnam Ave. This is many years after his career… mind you he’s from my grand dads era..He would walk up the block with this cool strut .. and we ( kids at the time would ) be dribbling.. he ALWAYS say let me see that ball. Someone would throw it to him and he would do all these tricks. As a kid I had no clue who he was. My Grand father was also child hood friends with Connie Hawkins .. they went to the old boys high together.
If everyone had parents like MJ maybe MJ would just be top 20 all time . Hats off to great parents who made their children be the best version of themselves!
I grew up with a guy who ambidextrous . that was very athletic he was a gymnast (flipping off trampoline power boxes, 1 story houses )played baseball basketball and football and graduated a year early from Highschool. He wanted to be a dope boy from the suburbs. Now he’s serving 35yrs
Possibly. I recall reading a Village Voice story (called him 6'0"), that said he always was sad he could not quite execute a move where he would be able to SIT on the rim. And it talked about him slapping street signs I believe also 13' off the ground. Only reason it could be true: I understand the backboards there are not 13' off the ground!
Trust me!! Earl could touch the top of the BACKBOARD WITH NO TROUBLE, without those dumb running jumps!!! JACKIE JACKSON from my HighSchool,BOYS HIGH, could too!!! And he was 6'5" and led us to the CITY CHAMPIONSHIP IN NYC,NY in 1962!!!!! You had JOE HAMMOND&PEE WEE KIRKLAND, who could also play the game with Ease, even if they were in the PROS.!!!! I saw Earl do a light jump in H.S. as well as his teammate WILLIE MANGAUM and they pinned guys shots well over the half ,with no problem!!!! And this was in H.S. GAMES back then!!! KIDS BACK IN THE 50'S&60'S had a much more MATURE LOOK TO THEM, THAN THESE KIDS TODAY!!! They looked like Grown Men in HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!! They weren't baby faced characters, like you see today!!! I still can play BASKETBALL with anyone, in any gym or street playground!!! Even with these so-called Pro. Players, with no problem at all!!!!!Earl of ElBarrio,NYC,NY. 6/8/24.
@@earlknightjr.1341 let me respectfully ask you some questions. I understand that the backboards at places like Rucker Park are LESS high than the NBA/below 13'-although a standard 10' rim. Which could be true of the High School backboards, smaller overall. Is that true? Because if you are saying that someone like "The Goat" could easily touch the TOP of a standard NBA backboard from a STANDING position...Well if he had a decent standing reach for his height it would be 8', if *extremely* long for his height 8 & a half'! Now maybe the goat WAS the GOAT jumper for his size: but the number you are discussing would give him over a 54" vertical, & unless he had exceptionally long arms for his size (which I never heard about), ~60" is more likely! I cannot see how anyone could be THAT much better than the greatest trained & practiced jumpers ever. Even Jordan "only" had a 48" vertical-if that is accurate. What was more "mature" about the looks of kids then? Kids reached puberty LATER then-unless you are talking about style & dress, how is it possible they looked like grown men when younger. Lastly... I am sure you can ball well! But if you are the same age as Earl was-& you cannot have been much younger if you saw him play in HS right? You will be about to turn 80 years old! There is no NBA player or man EVER who could "play with", meaning as seemingly implied, hold their own & be competitive, with PRO players, or even top college players or the best leagues just below NBA quality...At near or over 80 years old. Unless you mean that it is just a friendly game, like an NBA alls-tar game today where no defense is played & it is all for show! So you are credible & not seen as just making the most wild claims.... Is there not some hyperbole in your statements Sir? Thank you for your attention! 😎😎
It's really a tragic story, but can't call him the Goat as i never saw him compete at the highest level. He was obviously athletic and exciting to watch but that's not enough to be coined the GOAT.
You guys don't know about Willy "Sticky Fingers" Monroe from Baton Rouge LA, but he's the real GOAT. Better handles than Rafer Alston and Kenny Anderson combined. Ball was like a yoyo in his hands. Like Spiderman or something. And a 50" vert. Saw him score a triple triple once.
I grew up blocks from the playground where earl held the goat tournament at 99th and Amsterdam. They eventually named it for him, goat park. I used to play ball there in the 70s, but I was better at the parks paddleball courts. RIP earl
True legend on the ruff side of the mountain./ JABBAR name him the best he every played with ..them 6 Feet trophies were heavy has hell true Harlem legend.. watch the movie Rebound ..they should have filmed the movie in Harlem … 🏀🌎
The best street BB Player :Maybe!!. He was not the best organized player. He failed at college and he failed at betting a pro contract. Life kicked his ass.
He got the nickname because back then NYC playground ball was considered some crazy peak of competition unmatched elsewhere and if they really thought he was the best ever in that "arena," it makes sense...
Michael Jordan will still give him the bizness when he was alive they asked him about mj and they said he said mj would have been a major problem if he would had to play against him
@@dc7236 yes my man MJ will work his ass to death even MJ said one day someone will be better than him and I promise u if he plays MJ I promise you he will say I need some help with him
I grew up with a guy named Sammy Chu, only 5-6" but he can dunk it from the free throw line as well as shooting using both his left and right hand, he's the goat, no doubt about it. No video to show, but trust me!
If you felt you had to say “the greatest basketball player never played in the NBA” then I know you not from, or ever spent no significant time in the hood 💯
I GREW UP IN THE POLO GROUNDS, RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM RUCKER PARK AND I ASKED ALL THE OLD TIMERS WHO WAS THE GREATEST EVER TO PLAY OUTSIDE IN THE PARK AND THEY ALL SAID THE GOAT WAS GOOD BUT THE GREATEST PLAYER THEY EVER SAW WAS JOE HAMMOND !!!!!!
We all knew someone like earl, a few guys in my house school made it to the NFL when I am ask whose the best football player I have ever play against, I always mention this homie of mine, He was Randy Moss reincarnated ran a 4.29 at 6'4 can catch everything and physical but just like earl, He could not stop smoking weed long enough to tried out. Now dude is working in a warehouse making 14 dollard an hour. I guess it was worth it.
I think there is a pretty strong consensus that Joe "The Destroyer" Hammond. Ages ago ESPN in around 1980 televised a lot of the Rucker Park games, and I got to see Hammond score an incredibly nasty 72 points. Like Manigault he had problems with drugs, and in fact turned down an opportunity to sign a contract with the LA Lakers around 1972. They were going to sign him without ever seeing him play, either in person or on film. Wilt had played some pck up games with Hammond and the LAKER FRONT OFFICE that he had just seen the most talented player he'd ever seen. He had a number of legendary games, but the wildest was missing the first half of a game, only to show up for the second half, in which he scored 50 points against Dr. J. But Hammond was making so much money selling drugs he wasn't interested in playing basketball professionally. So while I think Hammond would probably get voted the #1 street player of all time, Manigault is in in the top three, along with Hammond and Herman "Helicopter" Knowings. He got the nickname from the way he would wave his bizarrely long arms around. Bernard King said Knowings was the greatest leaper he ever saw, and watched him in person do the dollar in change trick off the top of the back board. I think, though I could be wrong about whether or not this is still the case, Hammond is the only street player to be the subject of an advertising campaign by a major athletic shoe company. I don't remember which company (Nike, maybe?), but I remember the really cool T-shirts they had at the time, which merely had a photo of Hammond jumping up, with the words alongside the image reading merely, "The Destroyer." I'll have to check out the movie with Don Cheadle.
It's true about earl I went to see a game 0ne day at his school Franklin high school the guy was incredible and yes it's true that he could touch the top of the backboard. It's too bad he started using drugs he would've been a star in the NBA rip earl.
For every micheal jordan, theres a earl manigualt... great quote. Basketball is not everything, if you cant excel on the court, find another passion. Get a job but dont become complacement. Thats what they (society) wants you to do. I'm a fan of basketball, I dont allow it to dictate my happiness. Everyone wants to be micheal jordan, i just want to be Ke'esh mitchell; excel in life, not just a basketball court.
Kareem is a damn liar. He knows good and well who the real goat is. He's just jealous. He would rather match up with Manigault than Wilt. There are plenty of people who could jump as high as Manigault. I know 8 people who could touch the top of the backboard. If Manigault couldn't make a semipro team i can't believe that he was the goat of basketball. Thats disrespectful. Wilt beat the pros as a teenager. From the first time he hit the court everyone knew that he was the goat on every level of basketball. Stop the nonsense
Nothing but mad respect for Earl. But, to be the GOAT takes more than "Talent". You have to have a "Mental" mindset and a persistent attitude to be the GOAT and to resist the wrong. The world is full of Unsuccessful men with talent. MJ and Kobe would have undressed Earl in the mental aspect of the game. Just an opinion🤷
Don Cheadle played him in a biopic years ago! "Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault". Heckuva story!
Big facts
Dope movie too
One my favorite movies all time got it downloaded on my laptop
GREAT MOVIE
Sure did and it made me want to learn more about him. Great movie
A lot of cities in the USA have stories like these. In the late 80s i moved from Detroit to Lansing. I lived 4 blocks from St. Cecelia where Pros came to play in the summer...so i know greatness when i see it. Anyways I run across thiis one Brother named Forrest Bouyer.about 6 feet.. Vertical was 45 inches...He was so dominant he could take any 4 guys and beat any 5 guys. saw him one time embarrass a starting Junior college team...with me and 3 other guys. Good thing about his story. The streets lost him...he went back to school...graduated at 28 and now is a successful Financial advisor and there arent too many brothers in that field. Saw him the other day at a Pro Am basketball
game...hes got a limp now..hes 56......but damn he could play. Much like all Playground legends
u had to see him play...and even then u couldn't believe what u saw sometimes.
league
Advisor
That's like going from genpop to the hole. Freaking Michigan
Another one to look up is Ronnie Fields, Chicago Farragut. Played w Kevin Garnett. I had the honor of playing against him in HS. He was never the same after accident.
I used to play against Ronnie in pick-up games in Lombard. NBA level athlete. But only 6'2" in shoes. Not the best ball handler or shooter. I also got to meet the people around Ronnie, who were not what he needed to succeed. Then the car accident. Saw him in the CBA, where he had some good years. But that sexual assault case did not help his reputation with NBA teams. If only he could have avoided the car accident. He probably would have been NBA drafted in 1996. Maybe he would have made it. But maybe not.
Another one was Bill Spivey. 7-footer in the early 1950's, played at Kentucky. Got accused I'm the point-shaving scandal of that period and was blackballed from the NBA.
Spivey swore to his dying day he never did it, and stays for the specific games tend to support that. The prosecutor didn't care if he actually did or not.
This is the same time frame as Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. People said he was as good as them, who knows?
He played an exhibition game versus Wilt when Chamberlain was with Philadelphia, I think. Newspaper reports and stats said it was a wash between them.
I remember Ronnie Fields. I had a really close friend who was a referee in Chicago HS games. I'd go with him to see teams he told me I should see. I saw Garnett and Fields that way. I also saw others who ended up pros. Like seeing a 6'0 tall point guard named Patrick Beverley, who was a spectacular HS player, then an All SEC player at Arkansas, and today, nearly 20 years after I saw him in HS, he is still in the NBA, playing this year for the Sixers.
He was ok
Facts. Ronnie Fileds was the 2nd coldest in that 96 class after Kobe Bryant. Not to mention the greatest ever from the state of Illinois Ben Wilson aka Benji.
The greatest in every sport most likely never played professionally. The fastest man. The highest jumper. The strongest. The most agile. The best arm. The best shooter. The best hands. The best feet. And so on and so on.
He was only 53😮. RIP Goat. Watched the movie with don cheadle playing him as a kid. Great movie and cautionary tale.
I second your recommendation.
Earl was my great-uncle. Super proud of what he managed to do.
Really?
@@hiawathaclemons Yup
Some say I'm related to him but I don't know but if I am it's real cool to be related to a legend!!!
@@timothymanigault1551 as far as I know, all Manigaults are related. Is your family from South Carolina?
Earl was my second cousin. He was awesome.
This story reminded me of the best basketball player I ever played against. Around 1980. It was in North Carolina’s Central Prison in Raleigh in a tournament where outside teams came there to play. The player was just called “Hollywood”. About 6’-3”. The last play he made against us he came down on fast break with ball, palmed it, fake pass to right then passed it to team mate under basket, hitting him in the head. Third quarter, coach removed him from game. 57 points. He was in prison for armed robbery. His prison mates worshipped him. Never saw or heard about him since.
Wow. I live in North Carolina and it would be real interesting to find out who that was. I'd be willing to bet some high school and or college scouts/ coaches know of him. Especially in a basketball -rich State like this
@@martinharper221 I dont believe he was from NC. More likely NYC.
Funny Dude that was in 1980 who da Bird knows where Dude ended up.......😂🤣👏💣 What a Philosophie ..........He might be Resting 6 Feet under ✌
NYC got some ballers but kids in some parts of NC and other states with rural areas don't have anything else to do but ball. So if y'all New Yorker's want the smoke c'mon down. There's always a kid neglected and this is his escape. And he's going to be nice and not say a word. But when y'all start the talking he'll be gladly bust yo azz and still be nice to you.
To me his purpose in life was to show people that even as gifted as he was at basketball.....his real purpose was to show young people that you can overcome your addiction..... Much love.....I too have overcome my addiction to heroin .....rip to the real goat of recovery ✌️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏
Don’t agree with your assessment. He had the skill , but for whatever reason he made bad moral choices that eventually cost him a potentially good career, providence does not provide you with such skill, just to screw it up, and then claim otherwise. He screwed up .
Todd thats great man!!! Much respect and admiration for your achievement man. Spread that stregnth ans wisdom bro !🤝🏾💪🏽
I had a good friend who played on Manigault's high school team, and the stories he told me about Earl. My friend has passed away too, but you can tell that the things that were said about Goat were true. He caused a lot of excitement in Harlem, even to this day he is respected as the number 1 street legend coming out of NY.
Kareem Abdul Jabber is the greatest to ever play in the NBA. Not one of the greatest. He set that record at a time when there was no three point line. If there was no three point line today that record would be flat out unbreakable. Let that sink in. If he never changed his name to Kareem Abdul Jabber there would be a statue of him in front of the Staples Center bigger than Kim Johns in N. Korea.
It's Jabbar. But I agree with you.....
@@rhyno8644there is a statue of him I front of “Staples Center”.
@@milojanis4901 best
You can tell they were true because someone said them? That's some standard of proof you got there.
Saw Rebound as a kid...had nothing but respect for Goat ever since!
Back home in harlem...the ruckers park was always LIT...!!!..I miss those days...
In my opinion, the reasons why you likely never heard of many of these men are the following: basketball wasn't truly a passion, their attitudes toward structure and conformity, or the street life was too strong in them.
Even Magic Johnson once said that many of the guys he played with growing up were better than he was.
Or it just wasn’t their only passion. I mean think if Lebron had decided to play football instead - which he absolutely could have. Kareem’s record would still stand, and people would still be arguing MJ or Kobe…
@@ericburton1244nigga mj the goat 5:23
@@MeloRiley-gb5pz fuck is he talkin about tryna sneak LeRingchaser in there🤣🤣🤣
@@ericburton1244If Kareem came straight out of HS like LeBron and made a few three point shots, the scoring record would STILL stand, just like if Pistol Pete played 4 yrs of college with a 3 point shot THAT record would still stand.
This story is for me a huge tragic loss for the game. I'm sad since more than 20 years, the moment where I discovered the story of the great Earl.
Peace and comfort to you ✝️
@@beautiful80sladies22 Thank you so much. I wish you the same. Have a nice day. 👍
@@fornlike appreciate it
@@beautiful80sladies22 Thank you.
jesus the false messiah@@beautiful80sladies22
I lived in Harlem & played on Earl Manigault Goat Basketball courts. He would always have on ankle weights & his Each one Teach one tee shirts.
I knew a lot of Earl Manigault older than me and younger than me and I tried to reach out to the younger ones but then streets had a stronger hold on them and it's sad
Charles Chism is a person that I grew up with that was an extremely talented athlete that excelled in basketball. In fact he excelled in all sports but like Manigault drugs and poor academics kept him off the radar. I'm sure there's a lot of sad stories like this for every successful one.
There are thousands of guys that had the talent and never made it.
His son Terrence was a good athlete as well . Mr Chism was my man I played for Lafayette BNBL & Project Survival.
@@derrickwilliamson4276 how do you know him? His mom married my cousin Abraham Dickens and we were classmates in Jr. High and high school many years ago.
Man I wish I could have seen the guys play at the Rucker back then
There are tons of unsuccessful stories to each successful one. Allen Iverson could had easily been one, but with a caring mother who helped seek out the best help for her son made his life a dream come true.
And John Thompson
@@perryellis1423that part! 👆
Earl lived on 111st between Lenox and 8th ave.i played basketball tournaments at west 4st, Guacho,, King Towers, and few others. I came off the bench. But the experience was fun.
I knew the goat personally and I had the opportunity to play for his tournament in Manhattan .straight legend
Being sportsman is not just the talent, it's way of life.
^ this. discipline and dedication beats pure but lazy talent any day.
So true…idk about the Earl part but the next MJ, a better MJ, whatever, is or was bagging groceries instead of playing in the NBA. WE ALL can name that guy right now if called upon to do so. Everyone’s seen one in their time.
-Mine was named Ezekiel Ellis. Zeke. Had to tape the top of his left shoe so he’d know left from right. But could spring spring!! Had a beautiful athleticism, smooth, natural, strong as Zion, and fast as you’ll ever see. Expelled from school in 10th grade. Was a FREAK tho.
The Goat didn’t even play in the NBA” . They lost me right there , but I kept on watching the video. They got me back!!
Kareem didn’t claim him as the GOAT, but calling him GOAT was referring to his nickname. Kareem said he was best player his size in NYC history. Manigault had NO scholarship offers from Duke and Carolina. He went to Laurinburg to improve his grades so he go to JC Smith. If you cannot play organized ball, you can’t be called the greatest. His athleticism was incredible and legendary, but that doesn’t make him the greatest hooper of all team.
I grew up with Earl in Harlem NY in the 60' & 70's! everything is this video is true!!!!
Met earl in the early 90s at Rucker truly inspired others coming out of NY
What is Eric LaSalle from the '90s show ER doing in that picture lol
I was raised in harlem almost 40 years now granted earl was one of the best street ball players ever. I spoke earl before he passed away and he told their was nobody in harlem,the bronx or brooklyn that could stop joe hammond. This came out of earls mouth.
I mean, there are a million stories like this. We all know several people that had much potential but threw it away for drugs. 😶
I grew up with a buddy who lettered in basketball and football in high school. He received offers from multiple colleges, visited a few of them, had it narrowed down to two, then got caught selling cocaine. Got locked up and never took advantage of the opportunities he had been given. Sad.
Earl MANIGAULT was the number one Street legend, ANYWHERE!!! MJ nor Magic could ever beat him, one on one!!! It was TOO MANY GUYS BACK THEN THAT WERE TRULLY GREAT IN THE STEEETS!!! AND I'M ONE OF THEM!!! Earl #1 i call him, could soar over any player he wanted too!! Plus he didn't NEED A RUNNING START TO DUNK OVER ANYONE!!! Yes,he could shoot and defend and all else!!! He could easily get to the top of the backboard!!! He could soar!!!!! Drugs brought him down and keeping bad company!!! I accosted him on 8th ave in HARLEM,all strung out and asked, him why?? Why was he destroying himself!!!! Earl of ElBarrio,NYC,NY. 6/8/24
I had the honor of meeting him before he passed... I played at the goat in 1997
Heard a lot of stories about the GOAT growing up in that area. The dude is a street legend that is unparalleled. There are a few real street legends in New York. Pearl Washington, Earl Monroe, Connie Hawkins. Dr. J. come the closest but this guy is a true street legend.
Don't forget Pee Wee Kirkland!! Rucker Park legend!! Norfolk State guy too!!
You guys have to keep in mind I am an old man....lol. These others guys weren't during my time.
Don’t forget Joey hammonds the greatest from Rucker park period
And helicopter Herman!
James Fly Williams
The real GOAT legend 🙏🏾⛹🏾🏀
Joey hammonds is the man at ruckers no contest
Actually, that's where the GOAT came from. The players called him the Goat because they couldn't pronounce his last name. It stuck.
Yep… manigoat is how folks said it.
Great story, and way to reach back and help other kids.
For every Michael Jordan, there are 1000 Earls. Every sport is littered with what-ifs, but, that's sort of the thing: in order to be the *actual* GOAT, you have to overcome the what-if. That may come down to luck and opportunity, but, that's life.
Luck isn’t shIt without accountability. Opportunities come up in everyone’s lives but you have to seize the moment and handle business for them to become anything. Jordan had an incredibly competitive drive, accountability and an inhuman work ethic. He put in the work.
@satchelito1514 there's a saying in poker: it's not the cards you're dealt, it's how you play them. That's true, but it's a lot easier to play aces than it is to play 7-2.
No disrespect but every level has their GOAT's. But if you you didn't reach the top, you can't make the claim. Thousands of playground legends who dont even make a high school team... high school phenoms that flame out in college... college stars who cant hang in the pros... guys who make the NBA and never even crack the rotation. Always remember; "everybody is the man in their own hood."
Yea but none of those guys had Kareem Abdul jabbar, arguably a top 5 player ever, say they were the best player they ever played against
Earl wasn’t the one supposedly snatching money off the top of backboards…that was Jumpin’ Jackie Jackson. Remember in the movie “Rebound” when Earl blocked Wilt Chamberlain’s shot by pinning it to the backboard? Well, Earl didn’t do that either…that was Jumpin’ Jackie too. 🤷🏾♀️
You are a true basketball man it was Jumpin Jackie Jackson and he played with the team called Brooklyn which features Connie Hawkins and Eddie Simmons. And Eddie Simmons was another guy who was a great guard never got his due
@@antoniotutt4894 The Hawk, The Czar & Jumpin’ Jackie…may all three rest in peace. #TeamBrooklynUSA 🏀
I lived on jackie Johnson’s block in Brooklyn on Putnam Ave. This is many years after his career… mind you he’s from my grand dads era..He would walk up the block with this cool strut .. and we ( kids at the time would ) be dribbling.. he ALWAYS say let me see that ball. Someone would throw it to him and he would do all these tricks. As a kid I had no clue who he was. My Grand father was also child hood friends with Connie Hawkins .. they went to the old boys high together.
@@kristopherstubbs9362My dad saw Jackie Jackson jump over a guy and dunk in the Jersey City Armory - it was absolute legend in the city.
All that jumping for $1
Is that the ‘Soul glow’ guy?!
If everyone had parents like MJ maybe MJ would just be top 20 all time . Hats off to great parents who made their children be the best version of themselves!
Jordan had 5 inches on him and catchers mitts for hands. Not just the physical advantages but also psychotic competitiveness made Jordan the GOAT.
23 likes tho
Jordan And Kobe used To Take quarters Off The Back Board My Good Man
Michael has mental toughness over these unground legends which makes him the GOAT.
I grew up with a guy who ambidextrous . that was very athletic he was a gymnast (flipping off trampoline power boxes, 1 story houses )played baseball basketball and football and graduated a year early from Highschool. He wanted to be a dope boy from the suburbs. Now he’s serving 35yrs
Some things are just playground myths. A 6’1” guy isn’t grabbing a quarter off the top of the backboard unless he’s standing on a car.
Possibly. I recall reading a Village Voice story (called him 6'0"), that said he always was sad he could not quite execute a move where he would be able to SIT on the rim. And it talked about him slapping street signs I believe also 13' off the ground. Only reason it could be true: I understand the backboards there are not 13' off the ground!
Trust me!! Earl could touch the top of the BACKBOARD WITH NO TROUBLE, without those dumb running jumps!!! JACKIE JACKSON from my HighSchool,BOYS HIGH, could too!!! And he was 6'5" and led us to the CITY CHAMPIONSHIP IN NYC,NY in 1962!!!!! You had JOE HAMMOND&PEE WEE KIRKLAND, who could also play the game with Ease, even if they were in the PROS.!!!! I saw Earl do a light jump in H.S. as well as his teammate WILLIE MANGAUM and they pinned guys shots well over the half ,with no problem!!!! And this was in H.S. GAMES back then!!! KIDS BACK IN THE 50'S&60'S had a much more MATURE LOOK TO THEM, THAN THESE KIDS TODAY!!! They looked like Grown Men in HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!! They weren't baby faced characters, like you see today!!! I still can play BASKETBALL with anyone, in any gym or street playground!!! Even with these so-called Pro. Players, with no problem at all!!!!!Earl of ElBarrio,NYC,NY. 6/8/24.
@@earlknightjr.1341 let me respectfully ask you some questions.
I understand that the backboards at places like Rucker Park are LESS high than the NBA/below 13'-although a standard 10' rim. Which could be true of the High School backboards, smaller overall. Is that true?
Because if you are saying that someone like "The Goat" could easily touch the TOP of a standard NBA backboard from a STANDING position...Well if he had a decent standing reach for his height it would be 8', if *extremely* long for his height 8 & a half'! Now maybe the goat WAS the GOAT jumper for his size: but the number you are discussing would give him over a 54" vertical, & unless he had exceptionally long arms for his size (which I never heard about), ~60" is more likely!
I cannot see how anyone could be THAT much better than the greatest trained & practiced jumpers ever.
Even Jordan "only" had a 48" vertical-if that is accurate.
What was more "mature" about the looks of kids then?
Kids reached puberty LATER then-unless you are talking about style & dress, how is it possible they looked like grown men when younger. Lastly...
I am sure you can ball well!
But if you are the same age as Earl was-& you cannot have been much younger if you saw him play in HS right? You will be about to turn 80 years old!
There is no NBA player or man EVER who could "play with", meaning as seemingly implied, hold their own & be competitive, with PRO players, or even top college players or the best leagues just below NBA quality...At near or over 80 years old.
Unless you mean that it is just a friendly game, like an NBA alls-tar game today where no defense is played & it is all for show!
So you are credible & not seen as just making the most wild claims....
Is there not some hyperbole in your statements Sir?
Thank you for your attention! 😎😎
They made a movie about him called “Rebound” starring Don Cheadle.
He was the best school yard player ever.
Earl was phenomenal.
I know how this man feels personally.
His story breaks my heart because of the wasted potential
It's really a tragic story, but can't call him the Goat as i never saw him compete at the highest level.
He was obviously athletic and exciting to watch but that's not enough to be coined the GOAT.
The term GOAT was out yet. I think he was called Goat because his last name sounded like goat.
You guys don't know about Willy "Sticky Fingers" Monroe from Baton Rouge LA, but he's the real GOAT. Better handles than Rafer Alston and Kenny Anderson combined. Ball was like a yoyo in his hands. Like Spiderman or something. And a 50" vert. Saw him score a triple triple once.
God rest your soul Sir ✝️ peace and respect to your family
Just like the story demetrius hook mitchell
1:40 he was trying to make that but felt a certain way when he didn’t then the HALF COURT ALLEY-OOP came!! 👀
His story still breaks my heart and makes me wonder,'What if?'
Drug addiction is a powerful disease.
Awesome job on this video! 👏
Thanks Leyla! Miss you!
I miss you too leylaaaa
I grew up blocks from the playground where earl held the goat tournament at 99th and Amsterdam. They eventually named it for him, goat park. I used to play ball there in the 70s, but I was better at the parks paddleball courts. RIP earl
A TRUE LEGEND
Nothing more limitless than unfulfilled expectations. Oh the infinite potential of what-ifs
True legend on the ruff side of the mountain./ JABBAR name him the best he every played with ..them 6 Feet trophies were heavy has hell true Harlem legend.. watch the movie Rebound ..they should have filmed the movie in Harlem … 🏀🌎
In the goats time period the top of the backboard was 12ft tall
The rim is and has always been 10ft so the top of the backboard is about 12ft high
The top of the backboard is 13 feet
The best street BB Player :Maybe!!. He was not the best organized player. He failed at college and he failed at betting a pro contract. Life kicked his ass.
4:03 I didn't know Darryl Jenks (Coming to America) played basketball. Cool!
Those first images of a playground are from Dr J, not Manigault.
I heard of him...as a matter of fact they made a movie about him
If Goat grabbed money off of the backboard at 6’1, he would have unlocked the “fly” ability.
Glad you did a story on him e.m is a legend!!
He got the nickname because back then NYC playground ball was considered some crazy peak of competition unmatched elsewhere and if they really thought he was the best ever in that "arena," it makes sense...
Actually people mispronounced his name, as manigoat. Shortened it to goat. I doubt the acronym had even been used yet.
great video brother!
Thank you!
Michael Jordan will still give him the bizness when he was alive they asked him about mj and they said he said mj would have been a major problem if he would had to play against him
Blah blahhh
@@dc7236 yes my man MJ will work his ass to death even MJ said one day someone will be better than him and I promise u if he plays MJ I promise you he will say I need some help with him
@@ClarkeRaglin-yj5nj We don't know that. Stop talking as if, it happened STAN.
braaa same college same birth place same last name might be related to buddy
That’s uncle earl
He's actually the reason the term G.O.A.T exists. Great breakdown
Nah. Ali had already coined it in the 50-60s. Earl was called GOAT because of his last name. Nothing to do with any type of acronym
I grew up with a guy named Sammy Chu, only 5-6" but he can dunk it from the free throw line as well as shooting using both his left and right hand, he's the goat, no doubt about it. No video to show, but trust me!
If you felt you had to say “the greatest basketball player never played in the NBA” then I know you not from, or ever spent no significant time in the hood 💯
I GREW UP IN THE POLO GROUNDS, RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM RUCKER PARK AND I ASKED ALL THE OLD TIMERS WHO WAS THE GREATEST EVER TO PLAY OUTSIDE IN THE PARK AND THEY ALL SAID THE GOAT WAS GOOD BUT THE GREATEST PLAYER THEY EVER SAW WAS JOE HAMMOND !!!!!!
Interesting, but I can't hear you when you YELL!!!
@@knucklevision EASIER FOR US OLD HEADS TO READ
Another guy I remember was Fly Williams, don't know if he was on that level, but he had a similar sad decline.
We all knew someone like earl, a few guys in my house school made it to the NFL when I am ask whose the best football player I have ever play against, I always mention this homie of mine, He was Randy Moss reincarnated ran a 4.29 at 6'4 can catch everything and physical but just like earl, He could not stop smoking weed long enough to tried out. Now dude is working in a warehouse making 14 dollard an hour. I guess it was worth it.
A vision not actioned is auctioned
To not ever play professionally and to be mentioned by pro players it has to be true. I saw his film it was good. I believe the people💪🏾
I remember the movie base on him.
I remember watching rebound back in the day
Younger people probably never heard of him but most people know exactly who he is
Man used grab money off the top off the back board
This is the first person to be called the Goat.Earl Manigault
For those that don’t know, he has a movie about his life made my HBO that’s amazing
Literally the 1st person I thought it would be…
“For shmoking marijuana” 🤣
Who noticed Eric LaSalle the actor in the yellow shirt..
I think there is a pretty strong consensus that Joe "The Destroyer" Hammond. Ages ago ESPN in around 1980 televised a lot of the Rucker Park games, and I got to see Hammond score an incredibly nasty 72 points. Like Manigault he had problems with drugs, and in fact turned down an opportunity to sign a contract with the LA Lakers around 1972. They were going to sign him without ever seeing him play, either in person or on film. Wilt had played some pck up games with Hammond and the LAKER FRONT OFFICE that he had just seen the most talented player he'd ever seen. He had a number of legendary games, but the wildest was missing the first half of a game, only to show up for the second half, in which he scored 50 points against Dr. J. But Hammond was making so much money selling drugs he wasn't interested in playing basketball professionally.
So while I think Hammond would probably get voted the #1 street player of all time, Manigault is in in the top three, along with Hammond and Herman "Helicopter" Knowings. He got the nickname from the way he would wave his bizarrely long arms around. Bernard King said Knowings was the greatest leaper he ever saw, and watched him in person do the dollar in change trick off the top of the back board. I think, though I could be wrong about whether or not this is still the case, Hammond is the only street player to be the subject of an advertising campaign by a major athletic shoe company. I don't remember which company (Nike, maybe?), but I remember the really cool T-shirts they had at the time, which merely had a photo of Hammond jumping up, with the words alongside the image reading merely, "The Destroyer."
I'll have to check out the movie with Don Cheadle.
Is that Eriq La Salle in the yellow? Mr Soul Glow has mad skills in basketball.
It's true about earl I went to see a game 0ne day at his school Franklin high school the guy was incredible and yes it's true that he could touch the top of the backboard. It's too bad he started using drugs he would've been a star in the NBA rip earl.
For every micheal jordan, theres a earl manigualt... great quote. Basketball is not everything, if you cant excel on the court, find another passion. Get a job but dont become complacement. Thats what they (society) wants you to do. I'm a fan of basketball, I dont allow it to dictate my happiness. Everyone wants to be micheal jordan, i just want to be Ke'esh mitchell; excel in life, not just a basketball court.
That's nuff praise
Kareem is a damn liar. He knows good and well who the real goat is. He's just jealous. He would rather match up with Manigault than Wilt. There are plenty of people who could jump as high as Manigault. I know 8 people who could touch the top of the backboard. If Manigault couldn't make a semipro team i can't believe that he was the goat of basketball. Thats disrespectful. Wilt beat the pros as a teenager. From the first time he hit the court everyone knew that he was the goat on every level of basketball. Stop the nonsense
The hood has swallowed a lot of homies.
We've known this true story for decades.
Nothing but mad respect for Earl. But, to be the GOAT takes more than "Talent". You have to have a "Mental" mindset and a persistent attitude to be the GOAT and to resist the wrong. The world is full of Unsuccessful men with talent. MJ and Kobe would have undressed Earl in the mental aspect of the game. Just an opinion🤷
LeBron is the goat 🐐 please get out of your delusion kobe was better then mj too he played with less talented opponents and you know it
@@roderickchambliss948 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@roderickchambliss948Spoken like someone who didn't even watch MJ play, you young guys are so boastfully ignorant.
@roderickchambliss948 lebron losses games at the free throw line. Magic is better the bron🤷
Don Cheadle is better than Lebron
My dad has been telling me stories about earl since i was like 5 years old. Great basketball tallent but im still taking Michael.
Kareem did say that but understand this nba players do not compliment there compaction