From the Goat to the globe: How Bobbito García dribbled his way into hip-hop, hoops, and history

By Ruben Castañeda | Edited by Patricia Guadalupe

Before he became a hip-hop basketball sneakerhead impresario, before he wrote books about his lifelong love affair with the city game and the shoes players wear on and off the court, before he was mentored by playground legend Earl “The Goat” Manigault, before he palled around with MCs and consulted for an animated movie starring A-list actors about designer kicks who embark on an adventure in New York City, Bobbito García was a skinny kid who just wanted to play ball.

In his entertaining new memoir, “Bobbito’s Book of B-Ball Bong Bong! A Memoir of Sports, Style, and Soul,” which was released July 1, García chronicles his evolution from playground baller to a D-2 college player, to a writer, basketball kicks promoter, and…