The Dallas Mavericks Foundation celebrated opening a new basketball court in South Dallas on Wednesday. Maxi Kleber, a forward for the Dallas Mavericks, was present to help celebrate the opening of the community’s brand new court.
“I just remember from my childhood, it is easy if you have an outdoor court. Just go there with friends, play basketball; you know it keeps you away from trouble,” said Kleber. “That is just one of the things that my mom always said, ‘I would rather have you guys play basketball and know where you are than getting in trouble.’ That’s basically what we did all day.”
The renewal of the Dallas community is the mission of the nonprofit Frazier Revitalization, and the new court can be found at the organization’s office.
Antong Lucky, a member of the board of directors for Frazier Revitalization, spent his childhood in the Dallas neighborhood.
“I remember back in the day we used to have that rim of the bicycle.” He is impressed that the neighborhood will now “actually have a real goal with lights, and a nice court.”
After the official ceremony, children were allowed to play on the newly constructed court. The new court and baskets are accompanied by new modern equipment, fencing, and lighting.
“If you don’t know what the court looked like before…it was a mess,” said Dorothy Hopkins, president and CEO of Frazier Revitalization. “It was just a concrete pad; it had one goal, no lights, but they were out there every day playing on it. This is going to make their day,” she added; indeed, “their year.”