Vanessa Bryant, the Los Angeles Housing Authority, state and local officials cut the ribbon on the rejuvenated grounds.
Vanessa Bryant and the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation joined with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Lakers Youth Foundation to reveal the updated and renovated sports spaces at Nickerson Gardens in Watts, Los Angeles on Monday, May 20.
“What you see here today is the collaboration between Vanessa Bryant, the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, the Lakers, the Laker Youth Foundation and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles,” said Lakers Vice President of Charitable Affairs and Lakers Youth Foundation Kiesha Nix.
“From the newly refurbished basketball courts, both outdoor and indoor, to the focus on this amazing gymnasium, upholding the legacy of Kobe and Gigi Bryant, we hope will inspire these basketball players to dream big, to play hard, to give their all and to have the Mamba Mentality towards sports, study and life.”
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The ribbon cutting ceremony celebrated the opening of the revamped gymnasium and basketball courts at Nickerson Gardens, the largest public housing community in Los Angeles. Honored guests and speakers included Congresswoman Maxine Waters, L.A. Councilmember Tim McOsker, Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles President and CEO Doug Guthrie, Community Resource Specialist Donny Joubert, and artist and muralist Brian Peterson.
“This is so fantastic, I am so pleased and honored to be back here in Watts, you know they took it away from me, but I got it back,” said Waters.
“I could not go to Washington, D.C. today. I’ll get on the plane, on the red eye tonight because I had to be here today.
“Vanessa Bryant—she chose Nickerson Gardens and she has made this place beautiful and wonderful.”
Bryant, who is chair of the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, thanked the L.A. Housing Authority and the community of Nickerson Gardens for being supportive during the project. She shared a few words about what the gym and court renovations mean to her.
“The site is a special location for my family,” said Bryant. “[Kobe] used basketball to teach life lessons to young boys and girls.”
Bryant continued, “It serves as a reminder to all the boys and girls who play here—they are supported and loved.
“I also want to thank Brian Peterson for this remarkable mural.”
Peterson, who is originally from Miami, Florida, shared he was a big fan of Kobe and how this was him living out his 14-year-old dream. Thanking God for this opportunity, he talked about how doing murals is a spiritual experience for him and the inspiration behind the murals in the gym or as he calls it, a “Court-thedral.”
“I consider this worship, this is the way I worship, I worship with a spray can,” said Peterson.
“The moment I walked through those two doors, I had this overwhelming sense that the architecture of this space felt like a cathedral.
“Anyone on the planet can walk into a cathedral, and in that moment, feel reverence, a seriousness, a respect.
“We wanted people, we wanted kids, we wanted community members, to walk through those doors and feel the same thing.”
Nickerson Gardens, which is managed by the Housing Authority of Los Angeles, was chosen for the refurbishment by Bryant and the Lakers as it is the former location of the Boys and Girls Club, where Kobe Bryant hosted his youth basketball program, “Mamba League,” which was designed to empower girls and boys on the court and in life. The Lakers were also inspired by the local community support from Top Dawg Entertainment.
“It feels really special, I’ve been coming to Nickerson Gardens for a long time,” said Guthrie. “This gym is a heart and soul of the community; it means a lot for a lot of different reasons.”
Guthrie continued, “To see the spectacular work that they’ve done out here, it really is special, it’s something the community will take care of and enjoy for a long time.”
“It is a lot of emotions, it is so wonderful to see this ethereal art, this ‘Court-thedral,’ is spectacularly beautiful, but more importantly, it’s just wonderful to see all the community here and it’s wonderful to share this with Vanessa Bryant,” said McOsker.
“This really is a sign of respect for the kids of this community, and this is a real opportunity for us to get kids back in the gym.”
Donny Joubert has worked at the facility for 40 years and is a known figure within the community in Nickerson Gardens. He shared what the renovated gym and courts meant to him and why he respects Nix so much.
“It’s huge, it’s big time,” said Joubert. “When we first met with the Lakers, you know how folks come in and tell you one thing, tell you this, and you never really see it happen?
“They stuck to it and Keisha [Nix] led the charge.”
Joubert continued, “I fell in love with Keisha the very first day. We did the walk through, she made it clear, she’s not coming here if it’s a lot of red tape and so, we didn’t have no red tape.”
“This is beautiful, this is awesome,” said Rauhean Turner, program coordinator. “This is a great opportunity for all the children that’s in this community because they’ve never seen nothing like this—we ourselves, as grown adults, have seen nothing like this, so this is awesome.”
Residents, current and former, were happy to see the renovated gym and courts showing love and support to Bryant and all who collaborated to make this happen. They spoke to the Sentinel about seeing the updated facility and murals.
I’m loving it,” said D’andre. “I’m a big Kobe fan myself, I have Kobe tattoos and everything, so, I’m loving this right here.”
“This is amazing,” said Shindana. “I’m so glad that Nickerson finally got their gym back and I really hope that they bring back all the programs that allowed me to grow up here and graduate, go to college and then, come back and be a part of it.”
“I was pleased to be here today, so proud that Vanessa Bryant has adopted Nickerson Gardens and transformed this gymnasium into a beautiful museum piece where the children can come in a beautiful place and actually play basketball and other sports,” said Waters.
“I’m delighted to be here.”
“This here today is what will be a life-changing and game-changing experience,” said Nix. “This is a dream come true, I can’t believe that we’re actually here, that we made it to the finish line.
“There were times when we just weren’t sure if we were going to be able to get all of this done and we did it.
“It was great minds and great hearts coming together to provide something that this community can really be proud of and I’m just really excited.”
