During the year, many a sports fan find themselves bereft of entertainment and suffering from a case of boredom.
Lo and behold, Portland offers a solid group of parks for friends and family to enjoy a game of hoops.
The Vanguard takes a look at some of the best places to get your outdoor basketball game on.
Couch Park
Northwest 19th Avenue and Glisan Street
Nestled in a comfy Portland neighborhood, this collection of short courts would look more fitting if it was in a movie scene. The surrounding park is nice and one of the only truly pet-friendly areas in northwest Portland.
The brickwork on surrounding buildings, lack of nets on the basketball hoops and nearly empty basketball courts make the park seem like the kind of place a youngster would play a little shadow ball.
Peninsula Park
700 N Rosa Parks Way
One of the oldest public parks in the city, Peninsula Park boasts one of the truly great features of modern-day outdoor basketball: an artificial surface. Gone are the days of worrying about skinned knees and elbows from falling down on rough asphalt.
Artificial surfaces—many of them donated by Nike—are sprouting up on outdoor courts throughout the city. The park, built in 1908, is also reportedly one of the more friendly basketball venues, often featuring family games and little kids honing their skills.
Irving Park
Northeast Seventh Avenue and Fremont Street
Although Irving Park’s courts aren’t technically outdoors—the basketball courts feature a nice roof overhead—it makes our list as one of the great spots for outdoor basketball in the city.
Lents Park
Southeast 92nd Avenue and Holgate Boulevard
The more-than-38 acres of Lents Park may be a lot of things, but it is unclear if basketball mecca is one of them. The Vanguard visited the park multiple times but not once did we find a soul using its basketball facilities, despite the many amenities on site.
Powell Park
Southeast 26th Avenue and Powell Boulevard
Conveniently located just minutes from campus, Powell Park features six total hoops and the opportunity to host two semi-full-court games simultaneously.
These courts also feature artificial surfaces, and the main court has traditional lines painted on it, enabling a seriousness to the game that often goes missing in street ball.