{"id":19514,"date":"2025-07-18T17:53:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T17:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/19514\/"},"modified":"2025-07-18T17:53:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T17:53:09","slug":"love-in-the-paint-catchings-2k-foundations-unveil-new-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/19514\/","title":{"rendered":"Love in the Paint: Catchings, 2K Foundations unveil new court"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the eve of WNBA All-Star Weekend, a vibrant symbol of community investment took center stage at Riverside Park. Legendary Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings, alongside the WNBPA and 2K Foundations, unveiled a newly refurbished and artistically transformed basketball court on July 17, revitalizing a space deeply tied to Catchings\u2019 legacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The court, featuring bold designs by local artist Shant\u00e9 Lewis and an official WNBA 3-point line, represents a partnership focused on meaningful community engagement during the league\u2019s showcase event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Riverside Park holds special significance for Catchings; the park was home to her first basketball camp for Indianapolis youth two decades ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"WNBAWNBA legend Tamika Catchings sits down with Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham on July 17, 2025, at Riverside Park, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo\/Mia Moore)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was the first place that I hosted our official Catch the Stars basketball camp,\u201d Catchings told the Indianapolis Recorder, visibly moved. \u201cThis was the first place \u2026 Seeing the kids see the court, those faces are going to light up. It\u2019s just absolutely amazing.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Catchings recalled the camp\u2019s humble 2001 beginnings and the park\u2019s subsequent wear and tear.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes things fall apart, and we allow it to because we don\u2019t have the money to fix certain things,\u201d Catching said. \u201cWe want to change that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The refurbishment, the 55th globally by 2K Foundations, injects life and local artistry into the Westside Park.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

WNBPA executive director Dr. Terri Jackson highlighted Lewis\u2019 contribution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ExecutiveExecutive Director of the WNBPA Dr. Terri Jackson sits down with Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham on July 17, 2025, at Riverside Park, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo\/Mia Moore)<\/p>\n

\u201cShant\u00e9 Lewis is known for her vibrant colors and her creative expression,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cShe thought about the community, she thought about the event, she thought about the women who are our union\u2026 this is her expression on the court.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

One form of creative expression from Lewis that stands out is the word \u2018Hope\u2019, which appears near the free-throw line.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jackson emphasized the project\u2019s purpose extends beyond aesthetics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s showing up during All-Star weekend in a meaningful way \u2026 connecting with the community in ways that are just more than the game,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cThis is a reminder that girls\u2019 and women\u2019s basketball matter. That they are important. Their game is important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Indiana Fever guard and two-time WNBA champion Sydney Colson underscored the importance of intentional community support.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always cool to see stuff like this happening,\u201d Colson told the Indianapolis Recorder. \u201cYou just feel like somebody has been intentional about taking care of a place where young kids are coming to play sports \u2026 to learn through sports.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Colson stressed the value of visible role models: \u201cIt is awesome to see figures in spaces that you want to be in later. To have WNBA players here in the flesh, I think it\u2019ll be really inspiring to young kids.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"IndianaIndiana Fever guard and two-time WNBA Champion Sydney \u2018Syd\u2019 Colson sits down with Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham on July 17, 2025, at Riverside Park, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo\/Mia Moore)<\/p>\n

For Catchings, the project embodies legacy building.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think about legacies, you think about the people that are coming behind you,\u201d Catchings said. \u201cI want the next generation to have the opportunity.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Catchings pointed to the court as a tangible message: \u201cYou matter. We see you. You\u2019re important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

She thanked the 2K Foundations for investing in a neighborhood that needed resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The court includes the WNBA regulation 3-point line. This is part of the league\u2019s \u201cLine\u2019 Em Up\u201d campaign. The campaign aims to bring professional lines to community courts nationwide.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"WNBAWNBA Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings reading the WNBA All-Star Edition of The Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, on July 17, 2025, at Riverside Park, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo\/Mia Moore)<\/p>\n

The unveiling served as an uplifting prelude to the weekend\u2019s WNBA All-Star festivities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s growing the game,\u201d Jackson said, linking the court to the broader All-Star celebration. \u201cIt is showing up during All-Star weekend in a meaningful way.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Catchings echoed the excitement for the city-wide event, noting the importance of accessible activities. \u201cThere\u2019s something for everybody,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Head of content marketing for 2K Foundations Ronnie \u2018Ronnie2K\u2019 Singh and Fever forward Sophie Cunningham were also at the ceremony interacting with the youth on their brand new court.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846 or via email at noralp@indyrecorder.com<\/a>. Follow him on Facebook @HorsemenSportsMedia<\/a>.\u00a0For more WNBA All-Star news, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Senior<\/a><\/p>\n

Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the eve of WNBA All-Star Weekend, a vibrant symbol of community investment took center stage at Riverside…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[17945,402,1075,2652,2839,2653,17946,17947,3,17948,17949,17950,4805,99,17951,17952,434,12141,17953,1765],"class_list":["post-19514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-2k-foundations","tag-basketball","tag-community","tag-indiana","tag-indiana-fever","tag-indianapolis","tag-legacy","tag-nba-2k","tag-news","tag-riverside-park","tag-ronnie-2k","tag-ronnie-singh","tag-sophie-cunningham","tag-sports","tag-syd-colson","tag-tamika-catchings","tag-wnba","tag-wnba-all-star","tag-wnbpa","tag-womens-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}