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New Yorkers may never get to wander the aisles of Toys “R” Us again, but one of the retailer’s long-vacant Brooklyn locations could soon offer a different kind of playtime.
Former New York Knicks point guard and Coney Island native Stephon Marbury is working with Wellball to turn that old, abandoned Toys “R” Us storefront on Flatbush Avenue into a permanent sports complex. The enormous space will reportedly contain courts for pickleball and other paddle sports, plus flag football and Wellball, a new, stripped-down spin on basketball built almost entirely around shooting.
The venue is expected to become Wellball’s Brooklyn flagship, though an opening date has not yet been announced. The project would breathe new life into a building that has sat empty since Toys “R” Us shuttered its U.S. stores in 2018—and give southern Brooklyn another major indoor recreation destination in the process.
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Billed as “the pickleball of basketball,” the game pits players against one another in head-to-head shooting battles. Competitors aim over “The Well,” a device mounted to the rim that helps direct the action. There is no dribbling and no defense, meaning players can skip the full-court sprinting and focus on sinking buckets.
The simplified rules are intended to make the game accessible to players of different ages, sizes and ability levels. Accuracy matters more than height or speed, while quick rounds keep things moving.
“Everybody wants to shoot,” Marbury said in an interview with Scoop B. “Wellball, I believe will be the next… the next wave of how people are able to compete and still do something that they love to do.”
The game was created by Omar Wellington, a former Division I player at Sacred Heart University who went on to train athletes ranging from young players to NBA pros, including Rick and Jalen Brunson. Marbury has served as a captain in Wellball’s VIP league and has become one of the sport’s most prominent champions.
For Marbury, the Flatbush Avenue project amounts to a particularly fitting homecoming: the two-time NBA All-Star grew up in Coney Island, attended Abraham Lincoln High School and played for the Knicks from 2004 to 2009. Now, "Starbury" is coming back to Brooklyn—and he’s bringing court space with him.