'Hoop Dreams' basketball court in Chicago marks film's 30th anniversary, hopes to inspire new generation

It's been 30 years since the seminal documentary "Hoop Dreams" was released.

On Saturday, the famed subjects of the film were on the West Side to help present Chicago with an anniversary gift — an artfully refurbished basketball court.

The new “Hoop Dreams” basketball court in Garfield Park, just steps from Jackson Boulvard and Central Park Avenue, features four hoops and a cityscape mural painted on the court that was inspired by theater posters used to promote the film when it was released in 1994.

"This has just been an overwhelming incredible experience of joy. I can't even stop smiling any time I think about it," said William Gates, who along with Arthur Agee, was featured in the film, which followed the Chicago teens for six years as they sought to overcome life challenges and make a name for themselves on the court.

"I'm hoping it drives kids to say to play the game and say to themselves, 'What's 'Hoop Dreams?' and then maybe it opens it up to a new generation of kids who can see the movie and find value in it," said Gates, who is now an ordained minister in Texas.

"The day after the event I went out there and just parked my car and watched kids playing and was like, 'This is what it's about right here,'" said Agee, who still marvels at the film's success.

"Even the filmmakers didn't know what the hell they did that it was going to catch fire like that, but the one dude who created a little spark for it, his name was Roger Ebert," said Agee, who lives in the Austin neighborhood, runs a clothing line and works as a motivational speaker.

Ebert, the late Sun-Times film critic, wrote of the documentary being snubbed at the 1994 Academy Awards: "A film like 'Hoop Dreams' is what the movies are for. It takes us, shakes us, and makes us think in new ways about the world around us. It gives us the impression of having touched life itself."

The idea for the new court was conceived in New York by basketball junkie Peter Robert Casey, CEO of JDS Sports, an entertainment and sports private equity firm that partners with the nonprofit Project Backboard to rebuild courts around the country. Many are in underserved communities.

JDS also owns the basketball-centric magazine, Slam, which is also celebrating its 30th anniversary.Casey was looking for a place to build a new court, as well as a hook to generate some excitement around Slam's anniversary. He had the idea of pairing the court refurbishment with a well-known basketball movie, also turning 30. His choices were "Hoop Dreams" or "Above the Rim," a drama starring Tupac Shakur. It was a no-brainer; he pitched Agee and Gates. They loved the idea.

Coincidentally, Agee had been planning to refurbish a court for some time. He'd even met with Chicago Park District officials about it.

"It was all timing. I don't know how long he had his vision. I had mine for a pretty damn long time. For him to have that same vision. ... It had to be God who lined them up," Agee said.

"Arthur and William have been unwavering in their attempts to use the film as a platform to engage kids," said Betsy Leonard, executive director of Kartemquin Films, the production company behind the movie.

Agee, who grew up in Garfield Park, and Gates, who grew up in Carbrini-Green, spent countless hours on public courts as kids.

"This court is for those kids that don't want to fall into the atmosphere of what they see around them every day — gang-banging, drug-selling, shooting and killing. It's for kids who want to make something of themselves and don't want to be in that riffraff," said Agee.

A series of motivational words painted on the court's sideline were one of Agee's personal touches to the court's design.

"In your teenage years, you've got to give yourself a shot at life, a chance to live into your 20s sand 30s and beyond. You've got to make hard choices: Hang out with the wrong crowd, or make it in sports, which can take you out of here and give you more opportunities and better your life," he said.

The court is open and free for the public to use.