Nike hosted the Nike World Basketball Festival at the Lincoln Center on the 15th and 16th of September. The festival had a two-day tournament and an art exhibition. NBA royalty such as Kevin Durant, Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, and Carmelo Anthony were also present at the event. The event’s primary aim was to establish year-round access to the arts for local youth.

It was a star-studded event, but even amongst the stars, one NBA player caught a fellow attendees’ attention.

A Star-Studded Event

Nike World Basketball Festival played host to many NBA stars and many fresh faces who are destined to be future stars. Players such as Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Keyonte George showed up at the event. But even with so much star power present, Ja Morant caught Brendan Dunne’s attention. Brendan said this about Ja Morant on the Complex Sneaker Show. He said, “Ja Morant was there, rolling heavy with the security. Actually, I feel like I saw a microcosm of what might be the future of the basketball footwear market; and it was two young kids wearing Crocs trying to get past Ja’s security in order to get him to sign something for him. They want the Crocs more than the Ja Morant shoes”.

Ja Morant was “rolling heavy with the security” because the Memphis Grizzlies star was embroiled in a firearms controversy last season. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver handed Ja Morant a 25-game suspension without pay. Morant could end up losing almost $7 million in the process. The Nike World Basketball Festival was the first time Morant has been sighted at a public event after the firearms controversy.

Where Art and Basketball Meet

Nike World Basketball Festival was hosted to celebrate basketball’s rich cultural legacy. Nike partnered with the Lincoln Center of Performing Arts to highlight the brilliant work done by artists from around the globe. This event played host to a two-day basketball tournament in which eighty of the best high school basketball players. It aimed at offering equal representation for both girls and boys, competing for the grand prize.

The festival also played host to an art exhibition as well. The main attraction of the festival was ‘The Basketball Globe’ designed by the artist John Margaritis of the New York Sunshine. A joint initiative of Nike and Lincoln Center of Performing Arts involved a $2 million grant with the goal of making arts accessible to numerous young people in NYC’s five boroughs.

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