A modern outdoor basketball court designed for community recreation.

https://sportsurfaces.com/benefits-of-building-an-outdoor-basketball-court/

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More play.
More movement.
More community.
That’s the value of outdoor basketball courts.
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Ten colourful basketball courts from around the world

A blue chequered court in Mexico City, a multicoloured court in Paris and a 3D-printed basketball floor all feature in our roundup of colourful basketball courts.

Ezelsplein in Aalst, Belgium, by Katrien Vanderlinden

Belgian artist Katrien Vanderlinden painted a colourful mural informed by a children's game onto a basketball court in inner-city Aalst.

Squares, rectangles, triangles and circles, in different shapes, sizes and colours make up the court named Ezelsplein. Vanderlinden used the children's mathematical reasoning game Logical Blocks as the basis for her geometric designs.

The unique pattern of shapes, lines and colours give players the opportunity to make up their own games on the court.

Find out more about Ezelsplein›

Bank Street Park basketball court in London, by Yinka Ilori

Designer Yinka Ilori combined his distinctive geometric motifs and vibrant colours for this public basketball court in London's Canary Wharf financial district.

The half-sized court, which is designed for three-a-side basketball, is covered in 3D-printed polypropylene tiles.

Ilori's colourful prints also spill out onto a wall of hoarding that runs along the perimeter of the court, while a pattern of blue and orange waves laps the backboard of the court's sole basketball hoop.

Find out more about the Bank Street Park basketball court›

Pigalle Duperré in Paris by Ill-Studio and Pigalle

Ill-Studio partnered with French fashion brand Pigalle to create a multicoloured basketball court nestled among a row of buildings in the ninth arrondissement of Paris.

Russian artist Kasimir Malevich's 1930s artwork Sportsmen informed the design. The painting depicts four figures all dressed in the same bold colours found on the court.

Squares of blue, white, red and yellow ethylene propylene diene monome (EPDM) rubber – a synthetic material commonly used on floors for sports – have been added to the court.

Find out more about Pigalle›

Kinloch Park courts in St Louis by William LaChance

Artist William LaChance painted three basketball courts in a suburb St Louis suburb with bold, block colours.

The designs are based on a series of five oil paintings, which when placed side by side form one larger image in a "tapestry of colour fields".

White lines were painted over the top of the coloured background, which includes hues of blue, green, red, yellow, brown and grey.

Find out more about the Kinloch Park courts›

Summerfield Park court, Birmingham, by Kofi Josephs and Zuke

Basketball player Kofi Josephs and Birmingham graffiti artist Zuke have revamped a basketball court in Summerfield Park, Birmingham.

Bright yellows and blues were painted onto the court in a bid to attract locals and children to the game.

The design includes features that symbolise the city of Birmingham. For example, a crown has been painted onto the concrete which reflects The Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham.

Find out more about the Summerfield Park court›

Stanton Street courts in New York City, by Kaws

Nike called on Brooklyn-based artist Kaws to illustrate these two basketball courts which are located next to each other on Manhattan's Stanton Street in New York City.

The artist, who is known for his vibrantly coloured, cartoonish works, covered two courts in his distinctive style.

An abstract version of Elmo and Cookie Monster – characters from the popular children's TV show Sesame Street, have been painted onto the courts with signature crossed-out eyes.

Find out more about the Stanton Street courts›

Pigalle Duperré in Paris, France, by Ill-Studio and Pigalle

Ill-Studio and Pigalle joined forces again to revisit a basketball court they refurbished in 2015. The designers replaced the old block colours with shades of blue, pink, purple and orange.

This time, the collaborators enlisted the support of sports brand Nike, to redesign the compact and irregularly shaped site.

Backboards made from translucent pink plastic were added, while the playing area and zones are marked out in white.

Find out more about Pigalle Duperré›

House of Mamba court in Shanghai, by Nike

Fashion brand Nike unveiled a full-sized basketball court with motion-tracking and in-built reactive LED visualisation technology in Shanghai.

Designed to provide a place for American star Kobe Bryant to teach his skills to young players in the Nike RISE initiative, the court features classic court markings alongside Nike's RISE branding.

When the court isn't needed for training and games purposes, the LED surface can display almost any combination of moving images, graphics and colours.

Find out more about the House of Mamba court ›

Kintsugi Court in Los Angeles by Victor Solomon

Artist Victor Solomon has attempted to reconcile the many cracks and crevices found in this Los Angeles basketball court using the Japanese art of Kintsugi.

Gold resin lines run across the court in a vein-like manner, connecting the broken up pieces of worn grey concrete.

The artist drew on his knowledge of Kintsugi, which involves repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with powdered precious metals, in order to highlight, rather than conceal, the breakage.

Find out more about Kintsugi Court›

La Doce in Mexico City, by All Arquitectura Mexico

Mexican design studio All Arquitectura created a vibrant football and basketball court for one of the most impoverished and violent areas of Mexico City.

The designer covered the surface in a stretched and slanted chequerboard pattern in two bright shades of blue.

Overall, the revamped court adds colour and atmosphere to the area, which is otherwise dominated by run-down apartment shacks and deteriorating buildings.

Find out more about La Doce›

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Summerfield Park basketball court updated with colourful mural and geometric patterns

Professional basketball player Kofi Josephs and Birmingham graffiti artist Zuke have given a basketball court in Summerfield Park, Birmingham, a colourful refresh.

To mark the ticket ballot opening for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on 14 July, athlete Josephs collaborated with local artist Zuke on the refurbishment of a local basketball court.

Top: the court was unveiled on the day of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games ballot opening. Above: bright colours attract young local players

Alongside promoting the Games, the designers wanted the court to encourage more local people to play basketball and engage with the installation.

Vibrant colours such as bright yellow and sky blue were used to create an enticing and playful court. The same colour palette was used for the wider Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games logo and branding.

The design features a mural and colours used in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games branding

"If kids see some shit that’s as colourful as this basketball court, it's going to attract them," Josephs told Dezeen.

"They’re going to want to have a look and once you’re on there it’s easier to play. It’s going to draw in kids and stop kids from being on the street."

The court also features a mural with geometric shapes and swirling lines designed by Zuke.

The designers wanted the court to reflect Birmingham's diversity

The court's Birmingham location was used to inform the design, which "represents the city in a lot of ways".

"There’s a crown on there because we've got The Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham," Josephs explained.

"It's on concrete as well and we’re a hard-nosed city; we like to work hard, we like getting stuck in. We’re colourful, we’re diverse."

"We wanted to highlight the city and the different colours are my interpretation of the city" he continued.

The court's floor is made of concrete to reflect the "hard-nosed" nature of locals

Josephs and Zuke initially worked on the project together virtually by sending each other designs and ideas via WhatsApp.

"I'm in Manchester and he's in Birmingham so we were talking on WhatsApp," Joseph said.

"We just hit it off. We both had the same idea around wanting to do something to represent the city and were just bouncing ideas off each other."

Despite creating the designs individually, Zuke and Josephs worked on establishing a uniform style.

"We both wanted to ensure the same style altogether because it's one city. It’s meant to represent the differences but at the same time, we’re all one," Josephs said.

Although the court is meant to act as a colourful celebration of the city, the designers are also aware of the harsher realities of inner-city life around Summerfield Park.

"Obviously there is a lot of gang stuff around here so we want to make it a little bit more inclusive so all kids have something," said Josephs.

The court will remain open to the public after the Games

The court is now open for people to play basketball on and will remain so after the Games.

"It is now a landmark within the park, open for everyone to use and leaves a lasting legacy of the Games in the heart of the West Midlands community," the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games stated.

"The revamped space aims to inspire participation in the sport."

Colourful basketball courts have been cropping up around the world. Designer Yinka Ilori 3D-printed a multicoloured court in the financial district of London. Over in Belgium, artist Katrien Vanderlinden painted colourful shapes on a basketball court in Aalst.

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Yinka Ilori 3D prints Canary Wharf basketball court in rainbow colours

Local designer Yinka Ilori has created vibrant patterns for the first public basketball court in Canary Wharf, London's financial district, which features a 3D-printed floor.

The half-sized court is squeezed into a small lot in Bank Street Park and designed for three-a-side basketball, which sees both teams shoot into a single hoop.

Yinka Ilori has designed a colourful basketball court

Unlike the hardwood or concrete floors typically used for the sport, Ilori's court is covered in 3D-printed polypropylene tiles produced by Hampshire company OnCourt.

This allows the designer's kaleidoscopic court markings, which feature his hallmark geometric motifs, to be embedded into the material itself rather than just being painted on top. The technique is meant to ensure greater durability.

The court is made from 3D-printed sports tiles

"The colours used on the court are very vibrant and I think they will last a long time," Ilori told Dezeen.

"It's still a sports court so there will be wear and tear but I think the colour and material will keep. People already started using it over the weekend but it's still in good condition so I think that's one of the key benefits."

Ilori designed bright pink court markings and a purple semi-circle for free throws

Called Traction², the flooring is "the first fully machine-printed sports tile surface in the world" and provides greater traction while reducing stress on players' knee and ankle joints, according to OnCourt.

Printed around the edge of the court in bold, uppercase letters is the slogan: "Be the best you can be".

This was chosen to make players of any level feel welcome and assuage any guilt they might have about not staying active after a year of being stuck inside due to continual coronavirus lockdowns.

A wall of hoarding runs along the perimeter of the court

"I didn't want people to put too much pressure on themselves and instead just celebrate being alive and being around family and friends because not everyone made it through the year," Ilori explained.

"It was about trying to inject this sense of hope and positivity into the space. All you can do is give your best – I think that applies to everything that we do in our lives."

The hoarding is decorated with Ilori's geometric patterns

Ilori's colourful prints also spill out onto a wall of hoarding that runs along the perimeter of the court, while a pattern of blue and orange waves laps the backboard of the court's sole basketball hoop.

This recurring aquatic imagery speaks to the deeper connection with nature – and water in particular – that the designer has developed since the start of the pandemic.

"During lockdown, I spent a lot of time going to different forests, parks and canals," he said.

"I just find being around water quite calming so it's a reoccurring theme in the projects I'm doing this year."

Ilori has also designed a basketball to match the court

The court is open to the public and basketballs will be provided free of charge to encourage its use by the general public, while tournaments are planned for later this summer.

To Ilori, who has previously applied his joyous, colourful style to a skate park in Lille and a South London railway bridge, the project is evidence of a renewed focus on public spaces in the wake of the pandemic.

The backboard behind the basketball hoop is emblazoned with a wavelike pattern

"We went through a whole year of not going to museums or galleries," he said.

"But having your work in public spaces makes it accessible to everyone – every race and every culture. No matter how much money you have, you can access art in the public space because it's free. So that's why I think what they're doing at Canary Wharf is super important."

The court is situated in London's Canary Wharf

Although originally designed as a second home for London's financial sector, Canary Wharf is now home to more than 75 public artworks by 50 different artists, including Camille Walala's Adams Plaza Bridge mural.

This forms part of a wider push to give a new sense of life and personality to an area that has historically been described as a "weekend ghost town", designed for work rather than play.

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