NY Street Basketball Legend: Jackie Ryan

Jack Ryan aka BlackJack was born in Brooklyn, NY and is a Basketball Entertainer/Motivational Speaker. He is a member of the world-famous Harlem Wizards for 24 years and has performed all over the world. Jack grew up in Brooklyn New York and was always known for being good at basketball. In high school he was the star player and everyone around him thought he was going somewhere. His coach started getting him scouted and he got an offer from Ohio University but it was to go to a community college first get his grades in order and then play for them. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out because Jack ended up getting in trouble and getting kicked off the team and out of school. He then went home and tried to go to a few different colleges, but nothing ever panned out for him. Then one day in his late 20’s Jack was playing a pick up game with some friends and Peter Vecsey a basketball columnist for the New York Post saw him play and got a try out for him with the Nets. They wanted him to go to the C.B.A. but he got hurt before he could. After he was done rehabbing and getting better it seemed his time to play in the NBA had come to an end. He now has played for the Harlem Wizards for 24 years and finally gotten his life on track. He also is a motivational speaker and entertainer. Jackie’s life story is being told in the new movie “BlackJack: The Jackie Ryan Story”, starring Greg Finley, Ashley Greene, David Arquette, Michael Rapaport, and Robert Davi. Instagram: blackjackryan21