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Living in a city like Berlin, many young hoopers head to their local courts for a game of pickup with other kids in the neighborhood, though over time, the courts will fall into disrepair. As a basketball-focused company, Jordan Brand is always looking to its roster of athletes to change the world through the game, and Satou Sabally is one of them. The two are looking to Sabally’s hometown of Berlin to refurbish a local court that had been neglected for too long, providing young girls and outlier communities in the German city a safe space to play.
Most courts, at least here in America, are often full of men dominating the space, not truly giving women and others the opportunity to showcase their love of the game. For Sabally, this is a challenge she had faced growing up, stating “As a woman, you have to constantly fight battles that other people never have to think of.” But thanks to Jordan Brand and multiple community partners local to Berlin, these barriers are being taken down, allowing young girls from Berlin to enjoy the sport in a safe, non-discriminating way by offering free basketball classes during the summer dedicated to girls from a variety of multicultural backgrounds.
For help with the court's redesign, Satou reached out to artist Bahar Bambi, connecting through their shared Berlinese background. Bambi’s signature Turkish patterns as well as Satou’s Gambian heritage helped inspire the gradient red and purple design on the court.
This is just the beginning of Jordan Brand’s outreach into communities across the globe as the brand has made it a focus in recent years to make an impact in marginalized communities, especially considering their parent company, Nike, is focusing on their idea of the “Future 50 for Her”. For more updates on Jordan Brand’s outreach and more in the sneaker and streetwear world, keep it locked to our Twitter and the Sole Retriever mobile app.
Images via Jordan Brand
