The basketball court on West Fourth Street known as the Cage is right in the heart of the West Village. The court is one of the most competitive in the nation. But, Basketball players might have been a little upset Monday night to find that their sacredcourt had been turned into a fashion show.

The Cage was the stage for the introduction of a new clothing line. Waiters greeted guests with goat cheese tarts. Models were put on podiums that brought them to eye level with professional basketball stars, past and present, who milled about at the request of fashion executives.The court was rented out by the city at a one-day cost of $14,000 to the JA Apparel Corporation, a design firm started by Joseph Abboud, which was introducing a lower-priced men’s clothing line that the National Basketball Association is helping promote. The backboards were splashed with decals of the brand name “JOE Joseph Abboud.”
The show appeared to be a slam dunk.