Ep. 06: Nick Ansom: Hoop Bus & Venice Ball League Founder - Spreading Love Through Hoops

[00:00:00] I want to go to the room where like basketball originated.

[00:00:05] How the nace myth name came about itself for claim, you know,

[00:00:09] I love it but it's like, oh, it's myth.

[00:00:12] They're like, oh, did you put down?

[00:00:13] I'm the grand last nephew of James nace myth.

[00:00:16] Welcome to the champion This podcast with Brianna Salvatore Doic and

[00:00:28] Chelsea Poppins, where we share the incredible stories of athletes and

[00:00:32] entertainers who are using their platforms to create positive change in the world

[00:00:36] and the communities they live in.

[00:00:38] We are fired up to have our first live guest here with us today.

[00:00:42] Nico Ansem, K.A. Nico Naysmith, A.K.A. basketball architects,

[00:00:49] three-po-lige and designer incredible impact driver in the community.

[00:00:55] So before we get started I'm going to introduce Nico and just kind of share his

[00:00:58] highlight reel for a lack of a better word.

[00:01:01] But Nico is the founder and curator of the Venice Ball League.

[00:01:04] The Venice Ball League is a community tournament founded in 2006 on the

[00:01:08] legendary courts of Venice Beach.

[00:01:10] It has become one of the most prominent summer leagues in the world.

[00:01:14] If you haven't checked it out, you got to get out to Venice this summer.

[00:01:17] Nico is also the founder and creative director of the hoop bus, which I have

[00:01:21] the honor of sitting as an advisor to this incredible nonprofit,

[00:01:25] which is a 501c3 that amplifies community engagement through vehicles

[00:01:29] of change, namely the hoop buses.

[00:01:33] He's also a basketball architect, designer of the Venice Ball apparel brand.

[00:01:37] And he's recently launched a Venice Ball collab with Kuma.

[00:01:40] These incredible shoes that are in stores now so get yourself a pair.

[00:01:43] I got a pair. They go hard. They're great.

[00:01:46] And he's also community activists. He's been doing it for 28 years,

[00:01:49] which is wild because if you look at him, he looks like he's 28.

[00:01:52] So literally been doing it since he came out of the womb and built his

[00:01:57] first court 28 years ago when maybe you were 12 Nico.

[00:02:01] How old are you, Nico? 28 years?

[00:02:05] Like, great as the intro of all time.

[00:02:07] I'm a great full thank you for the honor of being the first guest.

[00:02:12] It's good to be in the room with champions.

[00:02:14] I've witnessed both of you be champions.

[00:02:17] What a champion represents.

[00:02:23] I'm honored to be in this room and thank you for the warm.

[00:02:26] Long enough.

[00:02:29] Well deserved intro, Nico.

[00:02:31] Well researched.

[00:02:33] Yeah exactly.

[00:02:34] He edited the 20 year of the basketball activism I guess begins when you realize this is like

[00:02:41] you love something and the circumstances of the space don't allow you to play.

[00:02:47] There was no court in the town that I grew up in.

[00:02:50] I mean, and I instantly becomes the revolution.

[00:02:54] We will wish I'll not become victims of the soccer regime this football.

[00:03:00] We want to score more baskets.

[00:03:04] We will find a different ball.

[00:03:06] Yes exactly.

[00:03:08] Different places reflecting back.

[00:03:11] It's when you add it.

[00:03:12] You don't officially realize what you're doing but it is a form of activism.

[00:03:17] So I'm out of the form of elaborating this vision from the jump.

[00:03:21] Humbly beginning, on gravel.

[00:03:24] Nobody want to play basketball.

[00:03:26] It makes it for my laboratory dog named Duke.

[00:03:29] So it was 101 sessions every night.

[00:03:31] I love that.

[00:03:32] Well expanded on that more.

[00:03:34] I just learned that you're actually from France.

[00:03:37] So I'd love to hear a bit more about how you grew up.

[00:03:40] How basketball became a part of you and how you kind of found your passion for it.

[00:03:45] I grew up in France.

[00:03:48] My mother and father are French.

[00:03:50] I happened to, I was born in San Francisco.

[00:03:52] But it's time I was too.

[00:03:54] The Bay Area.

[00:03:55] Broad back to France the Bay.

[00:03:57] Let's go.

[00:03:58] And then back in France was my brother and I.

[00:04:02] My mother.

[00:04:04] And where did begin?

[00:04:06] That's the San Clu small town outside of Paris.

[00:04:09] Like I said, there was no basketball court in my city.

[00:04:12] There was a soccer goal over the.

[00:04:15] The cages, the football cages didn't like the situation that I was always left as the golly.

[00:04:21] You know, kids or some grab ball.

[00:04:23] You were fast enough.

[00:04:25] Catch your feeling because you're tall.

[00:04:27] They stuck you in the goal.

[00:04:28] Like oh yeah, okay.

[00:04:30] It's a striker but this is not what I didn't really enjoy doing.

[00:04:35] So yeah, started a revolution on the ball caught a feeling.

[00:04:39] Let's go.

[00:04:40] I wanted to do we launched the team.

[00:04:43] I went from the small region to regional to national.

[00:04:47] When all the way to the national championship was my little school team.

[00:04:51] And then, you know, start climbing the ladder or researching where where is their more basketball.

[00:04:58] And I made our way to Paris.

[00:05:00] Eventually when I was 16 when I was 14, I came to Venice Beach where I discovered the

[00:05:06] super paradise basketball courts that are now home of the Venice basketball league.

[00:05:12] And that's how the fast track version of where it all began for me.

[00:05:17] Yeah, that's awesome.

[00:05:19] I think that's a great lead in question too because you moved to the US when you were 14 or 16.

[00:05:25] When I was 16 so you moved to the US.

[00:05:28] You play college ball for a bit and then fast forward to 2006.

[00:05:33] You end up founding Venice ball, which again as we mentioned in the intro is the legendary streetball community tournament on the streets of Venice.

[00:05:42] It takes place each summer.

[00:05:44] Can you tell us a little bit about why you decided to spot it?

[00:05:47] Why do you decide it to launch Venice ball league and kind of how that came about?

[00:05:51] How did we start the league?

[00:05:52] Yeah, I mean, I think there was a very distinct understanding that I was coming here to fulfill my hoop dream.

[00:06:02] And it was going to be nothing that was going to get in a way of that.

[00:06:07] Sometimes it's like, it was a harsh reality.

[00:06:09] I think that was one of the best players in France and arriving to my high school.

[00:06:13] We were top 10 in the nation, Fairfax high school we had for all American players that play on my team that year.

[00:06:20] But realizing that, and as good as I thought, it was maybe those dreams where people said they were unrealistic.

[00:06:29] I thought they were very much. I just had to put in more work.

[00:06:32] So what I did from the time I got to LA till 2006, 2006 I would go to practice and then what I would do after practice.

[00:06:42] Because I didn't get my full shot at like playing or proper high school season was good at a park.

[00:06:48] And so I would go from part to part.

[00:06:50] This is you know early 2000s that every playground, you know from 4 to 10 is packed.

[00:06:55] And I would go to 3 games next and just play and learn how to play.

[00:06:59] You know, discovered the speaker basketball culture kind of fell in love with it.

[00:07:04] And discovered LA to the lens of playing pick up basketballs or went from playground or playground for almost six years after that.

[00:07:13] You know when went to a junior college, didn't really fit in the whole program in this script in the style of coaching.

[00:07:19] So again, always found home on the playground and always loved to play like new competitions.

[00:07:24] So my friends and I made a point to kind of crash different playgrounds every day.

[00:07:28] So we go different parks at a site called bowlingLA dot com that was kind of a guide to pick up basketball.

[00:07:35] Okay, love that.

[00:07:37] Great to competition, you know, great to competition.

[00:07:40] That's intense.

[00:07:42] Yeah, it was like a type of runs you had.

[00:07:44] There was like a little three minute intro.

[00:07:47] Did you post photos of people?

[00:07:49] Like if this guy comes to your court, don't don't pick him for your time.

[00:07:52] Santa Monica who preserves.

[00:07:54] Like I swear here, you think you're nice.

[00:07:57] Yeah, I would put some little tips, but mostly like hours of open gyms, right?

[00:08:02] You know, you really like, this is a time like this early internet, you know, but it's like,

[00:08:07] If you know, you know, if you don't know, then you're clueless.

[00:08:12] So I thought it was a helpful tool.

[00:08:15] I did that for six years until I realized, I thought I discovered Venice for, and I was like, well,

[00:08:20] Everybody's already coming here.

[00:08:22] This is the best court as some of the best talent already there.

[00:08:26] So we decided to launch a leak to kind of unite all of the best playgrounds around the city.

[00:08:31] And it was instant hit stuck with it.

[00:08:35] Complete chaos when from a tournament to organize this do this every weekend.

[00:08:41] I was doing this led to do it for the kids too, so I incorporated a youth league in 2008.

[00:08:49] And then I know, I just can't believe there's been so many years, so many events, so many donks, so many highlights.

[00:08:56] What about those highlights?

[00:08:57] He said there's been a lot of highlights, I guess.

[00:08:59] What ways have you been able to see the best quality positively impact LA and the community?

[00:09:07] That's good one.

[00:09:09] Have we made positive impact on the city?

[00:09:11] I mean, we created a platform, we created a place for, I don't want to call us miss fits but design this thing that's like,

[00:09:18] We're players that play out the box that play a little raw and uncut and unleashed in, you know,

[00:09:26] There's a certain style and convention that, you know, coaches expect.

[00:09:31] This is a certain pressure that comes with playing organized basketball.

[00:09:36] And so I think we created a home for a lot of us that just didn't feel like this was,

[00:09:43] We fitted this kind of basketball general system, you know, a lot of us don't have the chance to opportunity to meet the perfect match.

[00:09:51] You're starting to your style, you're playing.

[00:09:54] Do you think it created opportunity for players who are used to that structured coaching and format to step in and play, but get kind of a different perspective of the game.

[00:10:06] And since everyone else is playing this different style and they come in and they kind of have to learn it.

[00:10:11] Have you seen that take shape and athletes that I've come to play?

[00:10:15] Yeah, I mean we've had countless like success stories, I think it was just a place where all of you know,

[00:10:21] At the beginning it was always like bringing fun back to the game, right? It was up in our y'all of like,

[00:10:27] Man, the disappointment of not making the team like we're like already shining so far away from that like NBA dream to where like,

[00:10:35] Man this is not fun, you know.

[00:10:37] And so we wanted to create a place that was fun and I think a lot of people attached to it and he talked about structural players, a lot of division one players that

[00:10:46] Came through average like four points, something in a different team and then put them on blast or couldn't hang. He has a list of people that

[00:10:55] Those have had streetball players. I mean, I played in the Venice ball league this summer.

[00:11:03] And you know, I'm like, I played pro, I played in college and it was a different vibe like hoping on to this outdoor, hoping on the streets like the rules of the game are slightly different too.

[00:11:18] There's a moment where you can literally like call another player out and go one on one and like show your stuff and it was very freeing.

[00:11:26] Honestly, because there's no pressure you just out there like doing you with a crew of other hoopers.

[00:11:31] I've never met any of these women before but it just was beautiful and that's the power of the game.

[00:11:35] But yeah, I mean, I'm a testament to that as well. Like definitely grow up in a more structured environment,

[00:11:40] but I found a lot of freedom and had a ton of fun this summer out there with the women's video.

[00:11:46] I love the aspect of bringing fun back to the game because I remember in college going through season and not enjoying the game as much

[00:11:54] because it's your career, it's your job and you got to remember the little girl that learned to love basketball and learn to dream and figure that out.

[00:12:03] So I lean into that. I empathize with that. Yeah, it's great.

[00:12:07] Yeah, yeah, great. On stage on platform, on rules.

[00:12:11] You know, we kind of took the free throws out of the game trying to incorporate like tools is like it's plenty at the beach.

[00:12:17] We don't really have time for that. I want to see who is the most game never stop.

[00:12:22] Let's make it fun. Let's make ends and taning. Let's have a DJ. So we have a soundtrack in and back so you can kind of get in the zone while you're playing. Let's incorporate the MC because that's a very important part of like streetball culture, right?

[00:12:36] Where you can kind of earn a nickname and a lot of these nicknames turning to a household.

[00:12:42] I mean, business. Remember the name was Instagram hand like selling T shirts and campaigns and you know now like YouTube sensations and so it's cool to think that yeah, you could come through that stage and be seen and be heard and be appreciated.

[00:13:03] For some of them, like be able to make a career out of it. You know, it's the cut through American system. Like we got the most talent, but I feel like the least opportunity when it comes to basketball, right?

[00:13:17] You get to play it all over the world, you know, the system of like pro way pro being national one that really mock on.

[00:13:25] And even if you're a regional, you'll play with a cent ride with a jersey and potential fans in the crowd.

[00:13:33] You know, I got some college to the Warren CA or 24 fitness or your local adult league where nobody just really makes it effort to even practice. Oh, I think it's.

[00:13:45] Yeah, it was a heart reality that was not will him cope with so we're created, but you know, I don't want to take off this credit there's just so many people that are pouring through this vision right you just an idea until

[00:14:01] Or really connect to it and you know, you form a league and then different teams bring their own vibe energy always try best. That's what I put curator is like an inviting

[00:14:13] A very diverse community people that are going to play a different style of play. Like it international making it culturally interesting.

[00:14:23] Appreciate a little bit from from each other and again create this sense of, uh, no sense of family sense of.

[00:14:34] Yeah, diverse fun community like we can empower each other to dream and and and for me that's what what a dream team is all about is like.

[00:14:44] Yeah, is the complementary talent and skills that you bring to the table just like basketball team right.

[00:14:50] So yeah, for sure.

[00:14:51] Shells we're going to get you out there this summer and Hannah we got a Chelsea poppins and then me and Hannah offlin.

[00:14:57] We had the chance to participate in a three on three tournament with Nico during NBA all star weekend.

[00:15:02] So we'll be back this summer and Chelsea got to get you a nickname could be your my nicknames pop pop is good pop is good.

[00:15:11] Okay, we can stick with the I'm sure mouthpiece has a house another one for you. So I was a better one. Let's take it to the streets of summer. So you're nickname my style.

[00:15:19] Exactly switching gears a little bit Nico I wanted to talk to you a little bit about kind of your heart behind founding the hoop bus again for listeners who but who bus is a 501 C3 nonprofit amplifies community engagement through vehicles of change.

[00:15:34] The hoop bus partners with nonprofits schools and brands to increase attendance in both sports and school itself create awareness engagement events and spread love through basketball.

[00:15:44] I can honor to say on the advisory board for this nonprofit but Nico, yeah, tell us tell us more about why you decided to start the hoop us and a little bit about the work of the work today.

[00:15:57] I'm so I'm sitting on the right now in the driver seat kind of like soaking in and reminiscing.

[00:16:02] I mean, I think it was there's the natural position you know 15 years of VBO and people will always like I wish this was happening in my city.

[00:16:11] I wish this was happening in my town and slowly but shortly we started traveling and importing and bringing our teams from tournaments to Mexico around the United States to China and to Japan and.

[00:16:24] The more you travel the more you realize like I don't know it's the best teacher it's the best connector.

[00:16:30] You know, I didn't spend too much time in school and put through.

[00:16:35] Traveling I think it's really expanding my horizon and it was always I guess with the intention of like connect and like bring your favorite people along you know and as you grow older like you have more and more like incredible people that you meet and.

[00:16:52] You want to be inclusive of these people that you meet to embark on these adventures because you're like, you know, leave what happens.

[00:16:59] Well, we did it's about the biggest buzz that we can find a 40 foot Zion blooper bus.

[00:17:06] You know and put some hooks on it.

[00:17:10] There was no real like program or agenda like we're going to keep doing what we're doing was I love to basketball we want to bring it to very unique spaces and places.

[00:17:20] We're going to use that as a means to connect we're going to keep balling around the country eventually around the world yeah well bus was born.

[00:17:30] And a couple months later they the Kobe died and so you can see here is the original who bus mural.

[00:17:38] And I'm kind of faded a little bit.

[00:17:41] So we decided to dedicate the bus to Kobe and all of the life lessons that he's inspired and instilled in us and drive across the country and to kind of leap of faith and we're like, hey we're going to Kobe took her much to or.

[00:17:58] Second year of the show love series and we're going to make our way to Chicago on a Kobe pilgrimage tour with all of our best friends.

[00:18:07] And most talented humans that play in this basketball league so we had the legendary sick with it one of the pioneers of this street ball.

[00:18:16] Yeah.

[00:18:17] The voice of anish beach mouthpiece he rough in Elijah bones who are some of the most bounces guys Chris both of us been our resident photographer.

[00:18:27] And you're a engineer like bus containers pioneer of this who bus.

[00:18:32] Preston piece but.

[00:18:34] Preston piece.

[00:18:35] As you can see is his work and his spirit is like imprinted on all of the buses forever.

[00:18:42] Yeah.

[00:18:43] And we went to Chicago in five five storms later, you know, we're unveiling a brand new court on the West Side of Chicago and hosting a whole program in basketball festival and.

[00:18:55] I think that unlocked a whole.

[00:18:59] Possibility of senior crowds and places to go.

[00:19:03] Just kind of reminded us that like whatever we're doing here in Venice, we can literally do anyway.

[00:19:09] Go from place to place and this.

[00:19:12] Bring that similar.

[00:19:15] Energy and intention to places so.

[00:19:18] And from that to coming home and then Kobe the shutdown our courts.

[00:19:23] And we can't get personal and like you can't shut down our bus, you know, they're going to come put some locks or remove our rooms.

[00:19:30] So then we just start just kept going.

[00:19:35] Keep going and going and then we see we go to the like when are you coming back? Oh, we love a bus in our city with us in arts and.

[00:19:42] And a bus in Chicago and trying to build a master team and.

[00:19:47] And we replicate and elevate those experiences.

[00:19:51] Was there ever a point in time where it just like kind of blew up for you're like, wow.

[00:19:57] It's really amping up.

[00:19:58] It's really escalated from the vision you had in the beginning.

[00:20:02] Yeah, the summit highlight.

[00:20:05] I mean, obviously, I think the most significant one is like at least to the world and like the stamp of like the NBA calling us to be like, hey.

[00:20:15] We would like to feature your bus in the NBA 75 commercial we saw spread. Yes.

[00:20:20] Team bus ice cream truck and we think like the who bus would view much better without the story of 75 years of basketball.

[00:20:30] And I thought they were kind of kidding us first.

[00:20:33] And it come to find out there were for real when there was like Mike Jordan going to drive the bus through the to the NBA 75 laying coming to find out was Michael B Jordan.

[00:20:43] I still have a still very cool.

[00:20:45] And like yeah, you're meeting all these legends and they're like, oh, I know about the who bus. I'm like, I love it. And you know now we certified like stamp like 50 NBA legends and like 30 plus WNBL stars sign this bus.

[00:21:02] I've been on this bus. So I think I did a level of like credibility to the world in like a justification of like for kid who had NBA dreams of a lot.

[00:21:12] I made it to the league. You know, I'm here. I'm here with the big boys like grandma on my made it. You know, it was a cool.

[00:21:23] Cool realization and then everybody's like, you know, you travel around town and everybody's like, oh, that's the NBA bus. And I was like, you know, where do we go?

[00:21:30] And also I didn't hold it a set of like identity crisis like somehow.

[00:21:37] It all, it's all working out as it should 100.

[00:21:45] And then I was Chelsea and I were fortunate enough to also be with you in Indy for the NBA all star weekend back in February.

[00:21:54] And during this weekend, the hoop bus put on some absolutely insane events. There were two buses out there.

[00:21:59] One at the NBA crossover zone and the other one, we were able to renovate a court at a church and do some really, really great work.

[00:22:07] So can you share with us a little bit more about kind of NBA all star weekend that just took place.

[00:22:13] Some of your favorite moments and what this experience was like for you.

[00:22:16] Man, the most incredible week or two week of life as much as I love the game and I'm doing all of these productions and ideas like, I'm a hoop hunter, you know, I'm a basketball artist.

[00:22:33] I want to go to the roots of where like basketball originated. How the nice myth came, name came about itself proclaim, you know, I love it, but it's like a smith.

[00:22:46] Why they're like, you were dying on the grand great. You lost next few of James, nicemith.

[00:22:51] The nickname is very fitting though, you go, you really, you embody, nicemith. You are ball is life.

[00:22:58] Who was the best of it? They were like, who buses, the greatest inventions since the peach basket. I don't remember who told me that, but it stuck me and I was just like, okay basketball's a young sport like

[00:23:10] It's born here and six sported around the world like wildfires. So to be able to go to Indiana, where the first game of basketball was ever recorded to meet John Wood and family to go to Gentryville, the Barnes,

[00:23:24] you go to Larry Bird's high school and like really like live like in breathe and sit in those spaces, right the biggest high school gyms in the nation and a world.

[00:23:36] To go to towns, there are towns of 2000 but they have 5000 seats in there, high school gym to be able to see that bring my favorite people from around the world.

[00:23:48] Literally, we're like how to dinner with 50 people from degrading your birthday was epic.

[00:23:54] It was my birthday. So that program to historical court renovations, favorite people, balling on an indie 500 track everything we did.

[00:24:06] Like a stack up of like epic moments on epic moments, because the most incredible people that have been blessed to encounter through my life. So it was one of those like yeah,

[00:24:20] we put a lot of work right? It was like a preparation since I think I went there last October on November, scouting, you go meet the people, you ask a lot of questions,

[00:24:31] we went to about 40 different gyms and courts, what can we do, how can we live like this, you got to remember who's doing the good work.

[00:24:38] There's a lot of research that go into in production that goes into putting these like major moments together.

[00:24:45] The winds up with two buses, one buses in the convention center are second and the eight partners should right again, like certifies that stamp and to be able to.

[00:24:55] Yeah, but yeah, to reflect on it, see the impact, the legacy and again, the joy that we create, you know, I think is like,

[00:25:04] can't forget in this count like the work we do is fun. You know, a lot of days it's not the most interesting type of work, but to see it completed when you put in damage effort and intent to get to that moment where you can actually live in it.

[00:25:23] It's your child, this was your, this was your first encounter with hoop bus, your first time seeing kind of the magic of the bus tell us about how was that for you, what are your initial, what was your initial reaction after that weekend.

[00:25:36] It was the same. It was, I mean, it was magical. It was really cool to see the power of basketball and sports and the power of bringing people from across the world to be a part of the hoop bus and what you've created people actively flock towards the good that you're doing.

[00:25:52] And the good that you're creating and the energy that is like surround it is super impactful and super crazy to witness because just like you said, it was like a movie the whole weekend going from one thing to the next going to the crossover event where you're actively like beating up on kids on the course.

[00:26:14] That's why we're in a little bit of a flu, say Tom, just cover the joy of basketball away, but yes getting on the kids. Don't get on them.

[00:26:22] Shelton's right there with them though she has no mercy on this, but like the, the right way.

[00:26:29] Yeah, you got to show them what's up. Yeah, show them where it could be, but it was so cool even the court that you created.

[00:26:39] The last day I was there on Sunday where we had our 3v3 and like the court, you guys restored that that's the first time I've seen one of your courts in person that you get you have restored and it was.

[00:26:49] I saw the before and the after and it was crazy what you guys were able to do I think it was in that weekend right.

[00:26:58] It was we worked on it for 10 days. There was a lot of layers, a lot of work again.

[00:27:03] I didn't put too much from my hands. It was mostly delegated so get incredible Michael Johnson for the design obviously we work together on the concepts of like uniting the world like there's a lot of refugee kids that go to school.

[00:27:17] There's a lot of kids it's a, it's a newcomers school. So there's like over 20 languages that are spoken in that in that space again when I go to places that trying to find impactful stories are trying to find.

[00:27:30] How do we weave the thread of what are we doing and the message we're trying to spread so when I, for he's like this of new kids is barely coming to America some of them with no parents that have been through.

[00:27:42] Very traumatic story and to think that we could bring our vehicle of change these places you know myself. I'm a kid. I'm an immigrant with like a big dream to arrive in America and like to be able to meet someone else is foreign and kind of made their dream come true to their passion and their love so.

[00:28:02] I thought it was really special to be in that space and we're, you know I'm speaking French I'm speaking Spanish with some of the kids and you're like really soaking in all the cultures and you know that was a court that you have rent for 10 years.

[00:28:16] I was kind of like a lost space. I mean, that really nice gym and that facility but to be able to bring like new new space to life to dream and we got all the flags of the world and yeah.

[00:28:28] You know, it's a lot of work to put these courses as a Victor and Trevor all overnight working 14 16 hours shifts.

[00:28:37] Yeah, shout out to the hoop bus team for real. Those are the that whole squad those are the real MVP's they did work everyone put it in work.

[00:28:46] The entire squad that's that's the family right there. Yeah, the work that dream work always said it cannot come only takes so much credit right ideas just to my yeah.

[00:28:56] You got to put in the work and you got to put a dream together.

[00:29:01] But also the flow of that weekend in the power of like the creativity that was all over the place with the people that you were having there the artists it was just it was such a, such a wealth of creativity and brainstorming with that same energy.

[00:29:20] Yeah, and speaking of the global nature of the hoop bus you know, Chelsea and I amongst everyone else who encountered the hoop bus during that weekend saw just how much of a connector the hoop bus is it really.

[00:29:34] That's across cultures it doesn't matter the language that you speak we all get out there were shooting in front of the hoop bus and it's an instant connection like we Chelsea and I built friendships with people across the world John Luke are from Italy.

[00:29:47] John Marco also hi John world champ from Italy we had George from Greece really global global community speaking of that global love through basketball word has it.

[00:29:57] I know this but for our listeners, hoop bus is launching a bus in France and a bus in Philippines so big big things happening in 2024 can you speak a little bit more about these two upcoming buses what can we expect to see from the hoop bus this year and moving forward what's your vision for the hoop bus.

[00:30:16] Well we've just got some questions just a lot.

[00:30:21] The layup of the life time it's exciting I mean you know we've been a 48 states we've caused done five cross country tours at this point we love the US and whatever presents.

[00:30:34] I think it's time to bring our home full circle you know we've been exploring this style and this passion and this love.

[00:30:41] And I think the further we go the more gets appreciated the more.

[00:30:49] The impact you know when you start going to third world countries like the Philippines and you know we do a lot of acts of giving the gift is only as good as it's received.

[00:31:01] The only going places the Philippines where majority of kids that play don't have kids.

[00:31:06] First of all this is the most grateful happiness country that I've been to like smiles it's giggles and it's everybody loves basketball right you find your match and passion like literally everywhere you go so.

[00:31:22] The excitement arranged the cream around it some of the most resilient you know and again they's just not that much resources there's like majority of kids play without two there's one ball per village they find a way to make it happen but.

[00:31:39] You know we want to make sure that there's I'm a kid from the whole other country across the world that.

[00:31:46] We can inspire more kids like me that dream to go across the world and play basketball and do it also right like dream beyond borders beyond limitations beyond circumstances.

[00:31:58] So to go to places where it feels like you know bring basketball whereas new most is one of our.

[00:32:04] Kind of like tag line and.

[00:32:08] I think the time is now we have a hoop deep in construction the first of its kind built from scratch from the chassis on up.

[00:32:19] How is that different than a bus.

[00:32:21] Yeah we incorporating the the the style and the authenticity of the Philippines it is around these somebody streets the wires are really low so we're going to have to incorporate some of the some of the classical.

[00:32:36] Incredible rich cheap culture that they have or the Americans left these jeeps after the war and like the true Filipino is they're very creative and.

[00:32:48] And intuitive so they just cut these deeps and then stretch them like limo zines and back up 50 60 people at a time in there is a rich culture of art around it and rich pride around these jeep knees and.

[00:33:02] We thought about shipping a buzz but then we just like fell in love was.

[00:33:07] And what those aesthetics look like and then we also want to be mobile and you know since thousands of island connected together we also want.

[00:33:16] We want to be able to hop we want to be able to hide them hop and go get these buckets everywhere so.

[00:33:22] That is it motion the who bus friends isn't full circle I'm not putting pressure on timelines and you know I sell it's not if it's when.

[00:33:32] Yeah, you know shots in a world you know it's a reminder lot of people listening you know sometimes it's hard to.

[00:33:39] The fear rejection and it's kind of you might ask something and somebody will probably say no or ignore or not respond.

[00:33:49] Through the lot of bricks and airballs but then one of the shots is like solution it's like game.

[00:33:54] He's like shooting with that confidence.

[00:33:57] Okay, I'm feeling you're showing all the.

[00:34:01] Anybody listening to me again inspired because it's you know not many people are going to relate was the message or division.

[00:34:08] Or the interest but eventually keep shooting keep going is going to take so right now we got a mock up we got an idea.

[00:34:16] Trying to figure out you know the French politics is always a little complicated the bureaucracy.

[00:34:22] Yes, we do know.

[00:34:24] I'm living in France for three years in Paris.

[00:34:27] I know the.

[00:34:29] The mess of the French industry.

[00:34:31] We love France we're frank of ours for sure but they fall save I'm on to be.

[00:34:37] We agree and attested that yeah the mentality is like nice to tag into a larger feed going my name was as fixie you know that fixation of like.

[00:34:48] The regime of France are just that our cake like mindset of like we don't want.

[00:34:54] We don't want it why you don't want it well it's different I don't know why but it's not what we've been doing.

[00:35:02] For no anyway so it's just slow but I think it's that much more for and to that why we need to go there right exactly and the streetball culture in Paris and France is amazing it's totally.

[00:35:16] There's an incredible crew of hoopers over there the streetball culture is well developed on the yeah bringing that love to France and to Europe I think.

[00:35:24] Yeah a slim dunk it's awesome you build it they will come yes and I and it has to come back home right I think it's like.

[00:35:32] I've been here for 25 years but it's still.

[00:35:36] Those roots you know I'm a friend called American American French guy I'm I'm excited to bring in France and then around Europe show love across Europe you know I've already committed to my good friends mode and right in this.

[00:35:50] You know drop bucket not bombs t-shirt to hot out to smoke as the war is over where we're launching right through or even if we have a moment and access to it to.

[00:36:01] To go in a healthy deal we already have some fun allocated towards this hometown reconstruction.

[00:36:08] Yeah for listeners out there smoke is an incredible human also European global dunk champion he comes from Ukraine and is really really passionate about peace in his country so that's kind of what he goes referring to here.

[00:36:23] Yeah I met him to he's a sweetheart.

[00:36:28] Love him.

[00:36:29] Yeah, I met a lot of places to go right this still this is that dream is like as much as I let's fill out the joy has to be reciprocated but like you know this is why I'm so excited passionately because I could picture myself.

[00:36:42] Seeing the world to the land the best ball in now who played the way and then.

[00:36:47] All the people kind of grafted around it, but I feel like it's in the US now it's time to explore you know Mexico across the world.

[00:36:56] Let's go don't Africa so yes.

[00:36:58] It's the wheels iron motion things coming people big things.

[00:37:04] Yeah, that's a plenty of room on the bus for more minds to connect and spread these these buckets of dreams.

[00:37:15] I love it yeah well before we get into our lightning round do you have any words of advice for anybody listening that it wants to follow their dreams their passions wants to.

[00:37:28] I think we're out how to have a positive impact in their community or maybe even how to get involved in anything that the hoop us is doing.

[00:37:35] How I'm asked for quite briefly is like you know don't don't be scared to ask old curious ask a thousand questions get out on the world like.

[00:37:46] You know my mindset is kind of get up and go you know and really like just do it.

[00:37:52] Yeah you I mean you wake up is like yeah it's make the most of today.

[00:37:57] You know promise just just experience it live it unconditionally and go hard after it.

[00:38:05] I mean I just foreign like you know anything that you want to do you can like type in globally that it'll tell you this steps you just got to you got to put in the work got to want it more than others because.

[00:38:18] Generally the dreams that people want are the party I don't know the most common you know and so I don't know they might not be but there's a lot of people that are going to be chasing for the same dream so you're going to have to put in the more effort.

[00:38:32] And the more people you ask the more people likely you are to get help along the way so try to.

[00:38:39] Try to lead with with passion with heart and with.

[00:38:44] Curiosity and just get up and get out do it don't ever give up.

[00:38:51] Yeah don't get stuck through over thinking it also and just.

[00:38:57] And like you said there's going to be a lot of rejection out there.

[00:39:00] Yes, yeah.

[00:39:01] Yeah don't ever get discouraged with that yes yes that's a great word Nico and Chelsea night can both attest to the fact that you really live that out you embody that.

[00:39:11] And you have found your passion your purpose and your driving major impact through that passion and purpose and super inspiring I know I'm fired up after a conversation I'm sure listeners are also stoked and ready to embrace your own purpose and get involved with the hope us.

[00:39:28] Come up us coming near you soon. So before we let you go, we are going to launch into a lightning round so we have five questions.

[00:39:38] You have like 30 seconds each answer them is very very quick.

[00:39:43] We're going to roll through this. Oh you ready Nico.

[00:39:46] Hi there he has his game.

[00:39:48] Hi.

[00:39:49] It's going to go. Okay first question which country has the most intense trash talkers maybe it's state maybe maybe state true.

[00:39:59] United state USA New York City specifically that tracks.

[00:40:05] What country that country that surprised you the most in terms of level of hoops coming back to France they are coming back stronger and better.

[00:40:14] Yeah yeah and it's intense low key I was like yo they don't play over here you can knock down.

[00:40:20] That's a great sign.

[00:40:22] Super gem off court shout out. Okay Nico what's your go to game winning shot.

[00:40:27] Frost cross Z.

[00:40:30] He's a cross cross 20.

[00:40:34] Do the game with everybody to sleep and hit somebody open on the draft for the easy layup.

[00:40:41] I'm a pass first guy but like if you sauce it up you put a little bit of like put him to sleep rocker by babies.

[00:40:49] It'll open up a little bit off and so depends on which seconds you got.

[00:40:54] You guys don't get that many seconds I would say.

[00:40:57] Wonderful from fake.

[00:41:01] Shoot.

[00:41:02] You're not going to pull the Caitlin Clark game winning shot just low go at it, low get it up.

[00:41:07] No I don't I mean if I just one second I'll take the shot but I.

[00:41:12] I'd rather set somebody up for a better shot.

[00:41:15] Yeah he wants to give him the sauce double double cross has he has the tween tween tween through the way.

[00:41:21] He's a little bit of a big shot.

[00:41:23] Who's the most famous who for you've crossed out?

[00:41:26] Who the cross and definitely crossed matter world peace in your rest time.

[00:41:30] And he was filled with the first.

[00:41:33] Let's go that was a go on yeah yes me's like you notice guy yes my brother next day you notice guy.

[00:41:40] And he was like good and then yes.

[00:41:44] And then my lead.

[00:41:45] The earned is respect the next week he's playing with his kids on the boardwalk.

[00:41:49] I'm going to do kids on a steam.

[00:41:51] And they lost by 30 and then he went to Twitter and he's like I need some good players.

[00:41:56] Yeah let's go.

[00:41:58] I think he's no joke.

[00:42:00] I love it that's amazing.

[00:42:03] Okay last question you go right here you already kind of touched on this but one piece of advice for any person out there looking to start their own nonprofit.

[00:42:10] It would it be fight through the rejection you kind of touched on it a little bit but just one word.

[00:42:15] I feel like one word is hard.

[00:42:17] One sentence.

[00:42:19] Go for it.

[00:42:20] Or is there anything you learned when you started your nonprofit that you think people shouldn't know?

[00:42:24] Find people that are smarter than you that whatever you're not good at find them.

[00:42:32] Yeah.

[00:42:33] Delicate.

[00:42:34] Yeah.

[00:42:35] Bill team.

[00:42:36] You're not going to be able to do it alone.

[00:42:37] Yeah.

[00:42:38] I just structure of nonprofit is build with a board of directors, a board of advisors like as you build it, you need people of the jumps.

[00:42:45] Find people that are complementary to your skills and build that dream team and stick through it.

[00:42:52] Yeah.

[00:42:53] I love it.

[00:42:54] That was definitely not a sentence.

[00:42:56] Yeah.

[00:42:57] We'll take it.

[00:42:58] Cool.

[00:42:59] Well, it's so good to have you Nico.

[00:43:01] For all of our listeners if you like this podcast like Share Follow and we'll also have all of Nico's.

[00:43:06] And Lupus, Benus Beach League, all the social profiles in our show notes and resources for anything that you're looking for in the future or if you're looking to get connected with Nico.

[00:43:16] We can certainly help with that.