Sixers help unveil a newly refurbished basketball court in West Philly
Rufus Williams Court in Cobbs Creek Park now features a pair of new full-size courts and two half-courts.
Raphael Branch grew up playing basketball at the recreational courts in West Philly, catching frogs and tadpoles in Cobbs Creek, and shooting hoops at the local recreation center or playgrounds.
But over time, investment in Cobbs Creek Park waned, and the Rufus Williams basketball court and nearby public golf course fell into disrepair.
That was, until the Sixers started their 2024-25 charitable initiative through Assists for Safe Communities. On Wednesday, the Sixers, Penn Medicine, and the City of Philadelphia unveiled the newly refurbished court — complete with two full-size courts and two half-courts — to the public, with appearances from Allen Iverson, whom Branch once met on the public courts in the park during Iverson’s playing days.
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Now, he got to bring his 5-year-old son to the new and improved courts at the park to see Iverson at the start of his own basketball journey.
“This is big for the community,” Branch said. “I just hope that we can get some cameras out here. Let’s keep more active programs coming in the summer for the kids.”
City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said at the ribbon-cutting that the city will donate an additional $200,000 to install lights and cameras at the court to keep it safe for everyone to play throughout the day.
Cobbs Creek Park was selected by the Sixers and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation as a court that needed investment and was visible in the community.
“This is an awesome part of Philadelphia,” said Mike Goings, Sixers vice president of social responsibility. “It’s a historic part of Philadelphia, and it’s an important part of Penn Medicine’s outreach in the West Philadelphia community. For us to come together and make this happen in this part of Cobbs Creek, I know that Tiger Woods invested in this as well with the golf course, so there’s a lot of investment happening. We’re happy to be a part of it.”
The Sixers donated $76 per assist this season as part of Assists for Safe Communities. Since the Sixers tallied 1,901 assists, the team donated $144,476 to six charities: Young Chances Foundation, Power of Paint, Shoot Basketballs Not People, Cure 4 Camden, Achievability, and New Leash on Life.
To celebrate, the team hosted a basketball clinic with kids helped by the six organizations supported by Assists for Safe Communities, featuring Sixers forward and Camden native Justin Edwards.
“In some communities, having a renovated basketball court is no big deal, right?” Gauthier said. “That’s not the case in Cobbs Creek, because for decades, this neighborhood was left behind as the City of Philadelphia invested in public spaces in whiter and in more affluent communities. Cobbs Creek deserves world-class amenities just as much as Rittenhouse or communities on the Main Line, and so this basketball court … represents a turning point for the city of Philadelphia and for this community.”