Kevin Durant Unveils New Basketball Court In The East Village

EAST VILLAGE, NY — NBA star Kevin Durant unveiled a brand new basketball court for two East Village schools on Monday as part of his work to build or upgrade courts in low-income neighborhoods.

The Golden State Warriors forward opened the new court of Monday as part of his "Build It And They Will Ball" initiative, a joint collaboration between Durant's charitable foundation and Nike. The project works to increase access to high-quality basketball facilities for underprivileged youth.

The East Side Community School, located on East 12th Street, submitted photos of the deteriorating court before it was selected for refurbishment. The renovation has brought four new basketball goals with padding, complete surface repair and a repainting of court lines, according to the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation. The "Build It And They Will Ball" project has upgraded courts in eight cities throughout the U.S. and the world since launching in 2015. Durant is next headed to New Delhi, India to announce his next court renovation. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

The new court is located in a public park at East 12th Street and First Avenue, and is used by both the nearby East Side Community School as well as Girls Prep, the all-girls charter school. The East Side Community school serves nearly 700 middle and high school students. Neither school has access to a spacious indoor gym, according to a statement from Kevin Durant's foundation.

"After years of having no proper indoor gym and a subpar outdoor court, we are beyond elated to finally have a facility that honors and respects our students' talent, character and love for the game," East Side Community School principal Mark Ederman said in a statement. "This beautiful new court that the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation has provided will positively impact our community on a daily basis for years to come."

In addition to the upgraded court, the space includes a new mural by artist Andre Trenier.

Lead image courtesy of Kevin Durant Charity Foundation.