Nike 'Hyper Courts' ready to cater to Pinoy ballers

MANILA, Philippines — Learning how to hoop is now easier than ever.

Basketball fans can now up the ante through the latest endeavor brought by Nike and Google: the "Hyper Court." 

Officially launched November 17 at a hotel in Bonifacio Global City, five "Nike Courts" offer players a venue to hone their skills.

“The passion for basketball in Manila is unlike any other city in Asia. We want to inspire young ballers to realize their full potential through the physical and digital aspects of their sport,” said Nike’s Bulbul Khera during the unveiling graced by athletes Kiefer Ravena, Jayson Castro, LA Tenorio and Jeff Chan.

“The courts enable ballers to train anytime without worrying about access to training drills and data costs,” she added.

“[The endeavor] presents a great example of how businesses can partner with the community to customize technology and provide an original, digital solution aimed at empowering Filipino basketball players and youth across the capital,” chimed in Miguel de Andrés-Clavera of Google.



NLEX rookie Kiefer Ravena shares his hoops wisdom with Hyper Court testers | Contributed Photo

The content is designed with a hyperlocal approach with the help of experienced coaches. Features include drills and skills training programs addressing power, quickness and versatility tailored for different types of players — all delivered through a program that learns and makes recommendations from continuous user interaction. 

Each Hyper Court in the five Barangays bear the mural Texas-based artist Arturo Torres. A full-court adaptation of his takes on LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving are assigned per playground. 

The first five courts are launching this holiday season:

From left: The Kobe Bryant court in Ususan, Taguig; the Russell Westbrook court in Scarlet Homes, Parañaque; the LeBron James court in Titan Love Court, BGC; the Kyrie Irving court in YCL, Quezon City; and the Kevin Durant court in Comembo, Makati. | Nike Philippines

"I want the kids that play on these courts to know that they can be like the superstars I’ve drawn,” said Torres. "Sure you have to put in the work, but no one can tell that you can't do something.”

Hyper Court is available for mobile users via accessing hypercourt.ph on designated Nike Courts. More playgrounds are set to be activated in the coming months, according to the brand.