Forest Park opens basketball courts with ‘bittersweet’ ribbon cutting

ST. LOUIS — The new basketball courts at Forest Park hadn’t even officially opened yet, and already they had a nickname. Literally. Folks are calling it “The Nick.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Tuesday to mark the opening of the Nicholas J. Booker Basketball Courts, located just behind the park’s Visitor and Education Center. A dedication ceremony will be held Saturday, with activities scheduled throughout the day.

“The courts are a powerful sign that kids across the city are welcome here, that Forest Park is inclusive,” said St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones.

She added that she is the mother of a 6-foot-8-inch, basketball-playing son with two championships to his name.

“We are honored to make the community call for basketball in Forest Park a reality,” said Lesley Hoffarth, president and executive director of Forest Park Forever. The nonprofit organization supports and maintains the city-owned park.

The two full courts and two half courts are named for Nicholas J. Booker, who, as a teenager, worked summers for the Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry. During that time, he developed a love for the park, and he also loved playing basketball.

Booker died of an asthma attack in 2018, while playing a pickup basketball game at Fordham University. He was in his first year at the school.

The dedication of the courts was bittersweet, said Booker’s father, Britt Booker.

“We would much rather Nick be here with us. But the basketball courts named in his honor is such a wonderful thing,” he said.

In a brief speech during the ribbon-cutting, Britt Booker said the courts will help to bring the community together through basketball.

The community celebration for the basketball courts is 10 a.m. Saturday and will include food, cold treats, family activities and lawn games. Nick Booker’s friends and family will also break in the courts and play the first game at 10:15 a.m. Visit forestparkforever.org/basketball for more information.