At least 450 million people a day play basketball, according to the FIBA, the sport’s international association, but it’s doubtful that any of them got to do so on a court as unique as the one Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios and other high-profile guests shot hoops on this May, as they drained three-pointers and made layups the middle of Sydney Harbour.
Their performance on Australia’s first floating basketball court, which was overseen by rap star FERG, was part of the latest version of “Courts Beyond Limits,” a program from Hennessy, the official spirit of the NBA, in celebration of the league’s 75th season.
Guests were transported out for a courtside view of the event on the Hennessy Superyatch. In addition to the celebrity hoops exhibition, they got to enjoy performances by FERG, along with AIR Award-winning hip-hop artist B Wise and other stars.
Setting the scene for the event, as it created once-in-a-lifetime memories, was a brilliant courtside lighting display by Jay Productions that featured 24 CHAUVET Professional WELL STX 180 fixtures that the production company purchased from Showtools International, which imports Chauvet products.
Showtools International notes that it added the WELL STX 180 to its inventory because “being IP65 it provides protection against any weather conditions, whilst being battery operated, it can be placed anywhere and oriented in any position.”
These attributes were all put to good use in Sydney Harbour. “The designers were looking for eye-candy effects for such an iconic location, which and the WELL STX provides that with wireless control of 16 zones of the RGWW LEDs for exceptional eye-candy effects with high CRI,” said Jason Ghazal Managing Director of Jay Productions. “With the floating court being on the water, the WELL STX 180 is IP65 providing protection for all weather conditions, which was ideal for the location.
“We placed the STX all around the court (oriented horizontally) as well as a backdrop to ASAP Ferg,” continued Ghazal. “The WELL STX matched the mood and atmosphere of the floating basketball court.”
Ghazal wasn’t alone in this opinion. Reporting on the event, one international magazine wrote, “the stunning monochrome basketball court was lit up… framing it perfectly against the inky depths of Sydney Harbour on what was admittedly a pretty wet and windy day.”
Inclement weather? It didn’t matter to the lucky few of the 450-million basketball aficionados who came to enjoy this Courts Beyond Limits event, and it certainly made no difference to the IP65 rated fixtures that contributed to its excitement.
