Ryan Hicks had just wrapped another successful season of community partnerships with various NBA teams throughout the nation before jumping into his next high-profile sporting event, the Venice Beach Summer Showdown, a legendary competitive tournament that showcases the best of both professional and amateur basketball.
Veniceball unveiled the Watts Oasis, an art-infused basketball court and community garden on Saturday, March 23, to provide a safe space and resources to the underserved Watts community. “I discovered this court that was hanging on a string here 10 years ago and I always thought it would be nice to kind of upgrade the facility,” explained Nick Ansom, founder and CEO of the Venice Basketball League. The Watts Oasis court refurbishment was the tenth of its kind, part of Veniceball’s Build Courts Not Walls global campaign. With the help of 100 volunteers and Watts Towers artist in residence, Augustine