Hoop Dreams: The NFT Project that Gives Back to an IRL Community

This week we have a really special drop on Rarible. The talented Nygilia is dropping a basketball-themed NFT, with proceeds from minting going to the Chiswick Gators basketball club. We love to see NFTs being used as a tool to give back to the community - it’s just one of many perfect use cases for this tech. We sat down with Nygilia and head coach Mike to learn more about this collaboration.

A vibrant community in the heart of West London

The Chiswick Gators Basketball Club, based in West London, is dedicated to developing young players and making basketball accessible. At the heart of the club is coach Mike, who has been involved in basketball his whole life, and is the driving force behind the Gators. The club grew naturally from pretty humble roots. A handful of kids who wanted somewhere to play after school encouraged Mike to set something up - and so the Gators were born. Since then the club has grown across genders and age groups, and has even received support from the NBA.

Mike: The kids were hungry for more basketball, so we came up with the idea of starting up our own club. One thing led to another and it's just grown massively big and now we're a pretty big club in London.

Critical to the ongoing success of the Gators is the diverse community that gathers around it. People volunteer their time and expertise to keep the club running. This is more than just a place to play basketball - it’s a place to learn, connect, grow, and evolve. 

Mike: I've been very lucky and fortunate to have so much support from all walks of life from the community,…

In 2019 Mike invited artist Nygilia to be a guest coach on a 10-day summer camp program. A life-long basketball player and fan, Nygilia was the perfect choice, and brought a whole new dynamic to the club and the young players. It was a rewarding experience for everyone involved, and Nygilia’s been looking for more ways to help out ever since. 

Mike: Having Nygilia as a coach had a massive impact on the kids. They really gravitated to her, I think partly because she has experience playing American college basketball. I wanted a woman coach to come in so that the kids could get a new perspective.

The Coach Ali Foundation

40% of proceeds from the sale of this NFT will go to the Coach Ali Foundation - a charitable organization set up in honor of one of the club’s founders: Ali. Ali began his time at Chiswick Gators as a player - a 13-year-old boy in love with basketball and eager to learn. At 15 he started to train as a coach, and became steadily more involved in the club. A true team player, Ali was the soul of the club, supporting everyone in any way he could, both on and off the court. 

Mike: Honestly, Ali was just something totally special and different. I say every single time I talk about Ali: you would love to meet him. He was just such a special individual, and I watched him grow up.

Nygilia: He was a very, very bright and very kind person. You could tell he had a very good heart.

At the age of 20, Ali tragically lost his life as he tried to help an elderly woman who was being attacked. Losing such a key part of their community has been difficult, but Ali’s presence is still strongly felt throughout the club. The Coach Ali Foundation was founded to honor Ali and support young basketball players.

'Hoop Dreams'

To celebrate the Chiswick Gators and raise funds to support the players, Nygilia has teamed up with Rarible to drop Hoop Dreams — an animated GIF, using the classic swirl of the basketball to create a spinning pattern. Inspired by the fluid movement and constant action of gameplay, this work is an homage to the sport that has helped Nygilia get where she is today. For Nygilia, she’s excited to utilize NFTs as a way to give back to an important community and a game she loves so much, and she says that it’s L2s that really make this possible, because they make art more easily accessible and open up new opportunities.

Nygilia: I really wanted to create something to give back to the sport, and to recognize Mike and the club for everything they do.  

40% of the proceeds from this mint will be donated to the Coach Ali Foundation, to empower and support the Chiswick team and community.

Looking ahead…

Coach Mike has a clear vision for the future of the Chiswick Gators - he’s clear that while growth is important, it needs to be aligned with their greater vision:

Mike: We want to grow in the right way. We don't want to monetize everything, we want to be able to be doing more in the community, have more outreach, give back more to the schools and to the kids in our community. That's what we want.

Hoop Dreams drops on Jan. 30 on Base, for 0.00123 ETH. Support this great cause, and tell your friends all about it.

NFTs are a great way to raise much needed funds for the charities and causes that are close to your heart. Rarible is dedicated to helping support communities around the world – reach out to learn more at partnerships@rarible.com