Some of our favourite accounts on the ‘Gram are ones solely devoted to capturing and curating stunning basketball courts from world wide. Well, the purveyors of these accounts — and the nice metropolis of Memphis, Tennessee — had been blessed with a brand new gem over Labor Day weekend that may cease you in your scroll. 

Named after an African-American riverworker who grew to become a Memphis hero in 1925 by singlehandedly rescuing 32 individuals from drowning within the Mississippi River, Tom Lee Park is a $61 million, five-years-in-the-making mission designed by main international structure names, Studio Gang and SCAPE.

The architectural centerpiece of Tom Lee Park is the Sunset Canopy, a hovering open-air construction whose floor floor is a multi-color basketball court docket primarily based on “Democratic Experiment: Extended,” 2023, a portray by the acclaimed New York-based artist James Little, who was born and reared in Memphis. The pavilion is known as in reminiscence of the late Tyre Nichols, the younger Black man who misplaced his life earlier this 12 months by the hands of native police.

The court docket has been created with the assist of Five-Star Basketball and the course of Project Backboard, a non-profit group that has collaborated with artists to reimagine greater than 60 public basketball courts with site-specific artworks since 2015. 

In becoming style, Memphis’ personal Penny Hardaway, a four-time NBA All-Star and present Head Coach of the Memphis Tigers, inaugurated the newly unveiled court docket on Saturday, September 2, with a made free throw on his first try. 

While it’s common playground parlance and observe to “never leave on a miss,” it’s additionally basic to be sure you launch with a bang. And that’s precisely what Tom Lee Park has accomplished. From artwork to structure, views to vibes.

It’s assured to be a staple on the ‘Gram for years.