Sweet Sixteen

Jump Ball 4

Basketball, not unlike myriad sports, captures a fascinating mural of Black youth culture across the diaspora. The legacy of Black players in the sport is as indelible as a stroke of time - is, was, and will be. And for Black youth growing up in a confusing, disparate world often marked by its aversion to them, basketball culture is a well of possibility.

Few things are as comforting as the footwork that turns nets into sashaying symbols of victory. Little else matters when you can find solace in the four corners of a bedroom that feels like a castle, adorned with careful cutouts of legendary Black players in the fashion of the season. And what’s more exhilarating than the outfits; Black children dreaming up the world and beyond with their clothing combinations, customizing out their unbridled imaginations, and permanently changing the face of streetwear (and runway) with assemblages from all the many places they call home.

Inside these portrait lies the dreams of making it big in the league, almost perfectly timestamped by turning sixteen. Nonetheless, basketball remains timeless for Black youth and adults alike; how much can you truly forget about a sport that seems to slot in perfectly within the mosaic of your identity? And all that is captured by the rise of even more Black superstars within the league, with Black people from all corners of the globe dominating, influencing, and shaping the culture like never before. 

‘Sweet Sixteen’ reflects a significant age when basketball was all one knew. It tells the story of those passionate teens with hoop dreams too big to be tamed! Fortunately for them, those dreams didn’t end on the hardwood, as ball culture heavily influenced their self identities. To this day, the culture influences our personal style, the rooms we occupy, and the material we read. 

Sweet Sixteen in 3D

Designed by KAUM

This 3D series created in partnership with 3D artist and animator KAUM, distills the dreams and iconography of basketball youth culture into celebratory portraits. It celebrates the inventiveness of the Black children who watch, play and participate - an attribute as unshakeable and historical as the legacy of Black players in the league. And it also celebrates the parts of the dream - to make it big - that never leave, and are transmuted into a lasting reservoir of memories, motivation and pleasure that one can almost always take comfort in. 

CREDITS

Photography by Kwame Blue - Featuring Moustapha Fall - Creative by Josef Adamu - Writing by Eyram Agbe - Styling by Josef Adamu - Traditional Pants designed by Simone Sullivan - 3D by KAUM - Creative Assisted by Devante Melton.