Nike and the design house Hotel Creative have built an all-black-and-gold basketball court in London dubbed "The Regal" using a fully sprung beech sports court made by Junckers Hardwood Inc. (New York City) finished with a distinctive black oil and lettering and logos painted gold.
The court is replete with all kinds of bells and whistles sure to leave athletes and onlookers gawking when jumpshots and slamdunks stop falling. The baskets feature gold rims and smoked-glass backboards mounted with LED lighting linked to the game clock and shot clocks, clock features that are a bit more rare in the U.K. than in the U.S. Surrounding the court are "flock-effect" designs in a basketball motif. The court is "so named to signify its ambition to become the hub of British Basketball," according to Nike.
Nike funded the overhauling of the basketball court at Brixton's Black Prince Community Hub for The Regal, which has retractable seating for 160 spectators. The Black Prince Community Hub is co-owned by Better and the Black Prince Trust, two charitable organizations. The Regal court is open to anybody, with regular pick-up games scheduled throughout the week (the schedule can be viewed on the The Regal's Facebook page). Nike even tapped a former England and Great Britain national player, Junior Williams, to develop a year-long program of free clinics.
Simon Charlesworth, brand manager of the Nike brand in the U.K. and Ireland, told DesignBoom, "We want to grow the game, and what better way to do so than with an inspirational facility that is centrally located, undercover and, most importantly, that provides free access to London ballers?"
