BBH Singapore follows up Nike’s ‘unlimited stadium’ with ‘hyper’ basketball court

Nike has unveiled a sequel to its award-winning ‘Unlimited’ campaign – which allowed Philippine runners race against themselves – with the creation of a series of ‘hyper basketball courts’ in Manila.

Teaming up with BBH Singapore and Google, the sportswear brand has attempted to bridge the gap between online content and offline experiences through a number of basketball courts featuring painted murals of NBA stars.

Players at the five courts – located in five Barangays (districts) of Manila – can then access a data-free platform that features training drills from coaches to help them with their technique. The more a player uses the platform, the more it learns and makes recommendations.

Arturo Torres, the globally renowned illustrator known for his signature superhero style, is the artist behind the court paintings, which feature basketball superstars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving.

BBH Singapore managing partner David Webster said: “Bringing two brands like Nike and Google together has allowed us to deliver a true world first – Nike Hyper Court will be transformational to Filipino basketball, giving millions of kids access to some of the best training available and to help them raise their game.”

Torres, an American artist and illustrator based in Texas, said his involvement in the Nike Hyper Court project was heavily influenced by an aim to inspire young basketball enthusiasts to raise their game.

He said: “I came from a childhood surrounded by domestic violence, in a tough neighborhood. But to look at myself and know that I’m not a statistic when I could’ve been, should’ve been, that’s amazing.”

“I’m proof, you can make it out, you can have a better life. To know that my art can contribute to something like that, that maybe a kid here in the Philippines can feel excited about playing on that court because of something I drew and that helps him become the next LeBron or Kobe, that’s incredible. I just want to be the best I can be and inspire kids to be better. That’s my goal: for kids to be better than me.”

The campaign follows BBH Singapore’s 2016 effort for Nike, whereby the agency created a 200m running track, shaped as the sole of a running shoe for the brand’s Unlimited campaign.

The track, which included LED screens that allowed runners to pit their sprinting abilities against avatars of themselves, was the most awarded campaign at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival.

Credits

Managing partner: David Webster

Executive creative director : Joakim Borgström

Creative technology lead : Dillah Zakbah

Creative director : Aste Gutierrez

Copywriter : Kara Bautista

Art directors : Sudhir Pasumarty, Denise Tee, Grace Wong, Joel Sow, Lee Jing Lin

Business director: Sid Tuli

Planning director: Rebecca Ash

Account director: Nicole Lee

Associate account director: Cheryl Cheong

Operations director : Lesley Chelvan

Digital producer : Chris Salonga

Digital production : Media Monks

Network partner : NexLogic TeleCommunications Network Inc.

Intern : Jereek Espritu

Content production: Black Sheep Studios

Head of production: Jonathan Gerard

Producer: Samantha Dalton

Illustrations: Arturo Torres

Animation Director: Shaun Leong Williams

Audio: Neon Sound

Mural Painting: #honeycombarts