Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade Paints Court With Basketballs

Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat is bringing art to the basketball court. Or is it basketball to the art studio?

The NBA star teamed up with Bill Fickett, Billi Kid, and Public Works Department to create In the Paint, an ongoing arts collaboration with athletes around the nation.

Public Works Department produced a striking video of Wade using a basketball, as well as his hands and feet, to create Jackson Pollock–inspired artworks on pieces of 1,024 square feet of “canvas” that was the 2011 NBA All-Star Game basketball court.

The final works include pieces of the paint-splattered court (see the image below), as well as paint-covered shoes and balls.

But the video footage of color splashing in every direction as Wade employs his natural paintbrush is our favorite part.

As Kid points out in a video interview with USA Today, there’s likely to be a huge market for player-created art (imagine if the booming art market and the crazed sports memorabilia market had an extremely costly love child).

A portion of the proceeds will go to athlete-sponsored charities. The organization is currently developing an expansion of the program to work with players in other major cities like New York, LA, and Chicago.

Dwyane Wade Square 02, which is offered for sale at $6,600Photo: Courtesy In the Paint.

Dwyane Wade Square 02, which is offered for sale at $6,600.
Photo: Courtesy In the Paint.