Instead of being a hoopin’ ground, the Harlem basketball tournament became a tragic ground. A former college basketball player at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey passed away due to g– violence. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had criticized violence during the Knicks’ championship run, once again condemned the action.

“I am heartbroken for the family of the man who was killed last night at a basketball tournament in Harlem,” Mamdani said in a statement. “This senseless violence must stop. New Yorkers deserve to spend the summer watching and playing sports, attending community events, and enjoying our public spaces — places where families, friends and neighbors joyfully gather, not where people are at risk of becoming victims to gu- violence.

“We are working closely with our community partners to provide services to those affected and the entire community. Our administration is using every lever across agencies to prevent further violence and ensure all New Yorkers can safely enjoy the city this summer.”

It was Kinu Rochford, a standout on the international professional scene. From a high school ball stint at James Madison in Brooklyn to winning the Lithuanian National Basketball League championship in 2017 with Garonne Sūduva-Mantinga.

The 35-year-old also had a stint in France, Kosovo, Israel, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. Here’s what the police had to say about the tragic incident.

“A former European professional basketball player was fatally shot in a targeted murder Friday night at a packed Harlem basketball tournament, cops told The Post. Kinu Rochford, a standout at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, was shot in the head at around 10:30 p.m. at the Kingdome Basketball Tournament in the Martin Luther King Jr. Towers on Lenox Avenue.”

Emergency responders even tried their best and performed CPR on Rochford. He was later taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, but the 35-year-old unfortunately succumbed to the injury.

Two others injured at the NYC tournament

Reports suggest that there was a squabble between Rochford and the alleged attacker. Two other people were wounded when gunfire erupted.

One is a 28-year-old man who was shot in the shin, and a 22-year-old woman was shot in the right forearm. They were also immediately rushed to Harlem Hospital and remain in stable condition.

Joann Fitzgerald spoke to the Post and described what her friend described about the incident. “He just walked up on the court and shot him,” she said. “(Kinu) didn’t deserve it. He’s such a good player.”

Eden Rochford, mother of Kinu, spoke to CBS News New York:

“He was a joy, and he’ll always be a joy,” she said. “I keep saying, like, maybe he’s going to walk through the door, but I know he’s not going to walk through the door. All I can do is leave it in God’s hands.”

Rochford’s last professional stint was with Golden Eagle Ylli in the Kosovo Basketball Superleague in 2021. But he would always turn up for the Harlem basketball tournament.