As Chicago gets ready to welcome the basketball community for the NBA All-Star celebration for the first time in 32 years this upcoming weekend, Nike is celebrating the basketball culture the city created while also furthering its commitment to get kids active, provide access to safe sport and inspire the next generation of basketball players in Chicago.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago and Nike are partnering to refurbish the basketball court, locker room and game room areas at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boys & Girls Club (2950 W. Washington Blvd. Chicago, IL 60612), which is located just 1.5 miles west of the United Center. The partnership also includes the introduction of the Nike All-Star Academy that will provide on and off-the-court programming for club members after the All-Star festivities leave town.
- Refurbished basketball court: As an extension of Nike’s partnership with Virgil Abloh and the NikeLab Chicago Re-Creation Center c/o Virgil Abloh, the Chicago-area native is designing the new court to fulfill the promise to the community when the space launched in May 2019. The court highlights Nike and Virgil’s commitment to powering up the community and shines a light on the city and youth of Chicago during NBA All-Star 2020.
- “This new court and programming not only extend our community work from the NikeLab Re-Creation Center, they provide a positive, free space for kids to engage in activities rooted in sport that will lead to an active healthy lifestyle and teach teamwork and the determination to succeed.” – Virgil Abloh
- Nike All-Star Academy: Nike is showing its commitment to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boys & Girls Club location beyond NBA All-Star weekend with the launch of the Nike All-Star Academy. The Academy will launch after All-Star and will allow members to learn through the game and beyond the game with on-the-court skill-building and hands-on learning off-the-court in the areas of sport design, sport science, journalism and coaching.
The extension of Nike’s partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago and the development of the Nike All-Star Academy serve as another example of the ways in which Nike is leading innovative community programming with local partners to level the playing field for kids who face more barriers to sport and play than others.