"In 1992, Oliveira Donbell, better known as 'Maninho', arrived in Portugal from Angola and settled in the Lóios neighbourhood. But he doesn't settle in alone. With him comes his passion for basketball, made eternal by the first table that he set up there and by the bull that he also painted on the floor, as a tribute to Michael Jordan's legendary team. This is how 'Chicago' was born. It quickly won over the local community and became a meeting place for kids and adults alike to share their love of the game. It has been this way for years and generations. It's that way to this day."
The story is told by Hoopersa digital meeting point for the community of basketball players and fans, which together with the Lisbon City Hall and the Marvila Borough Council promoted the revitalization of 'Chicago' for the new generations to enjoy. The basketball court, located in Bairro dos Lóios, in Chelas, has been intervened by the urban art duo Halfstudioby Mariana Branco and Emanuel Barreira, and is already open to the community.
The renovated basketball court was visited by Sam The Kid, at the invitation of rapper Daddy-O-Pop (Paulo Maposse), Sam's partner in his first group: the Official Nasty. Inspired by 'Chicago', the duo came together again to write a new single, "It's Not Just A Game", which will mark the return of Official Nasty.
Work on the intervention started on October 31, and the process eventually brought the community and also local businesses together, as Hoopers reports.
