Last Wednesday, April 6, Auburn fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha hosted NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins to their grounds to unveil his signature series basketball court.
Earlier in the year, Luke Barden, a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha, saw a billboard advertisement in Atlanta for the chance to win a basketball court by just texting a keyword to a 5-digit number.
Soon enough, Barden received a call from the Atlanta Hawks franchise congratulating him on winning a court courtesy of CBA Sports.
Barden opted to dedicate the court to his fraternity.
Luckily for Barden and the brothers of Lambda Chi, the court to be implemented was the first of Wilkins’ signature series court. The court features Atlanta Hawks colors, as well as Wilkins’ personal logo in the paint and autograph at the top of the key.
CBA Sports, a sports construction business based out of Norcross, Georgia, built the court with a ‘sport-court’ surface, a sort of layered padding meant to improve traction and safety for athletes.
The sport-court surface features state-of-the-art shock absorption, specifically designed and tested to prevent head trauma, specifically concussions, and to provide accurate ball bounce and traction.
The court has gained popularity as of late. Nike uses it for their basketball tournaments, and the surface will be used in the newly introduced Olympics 3-on-3 basketball event.
In addition to equipping multiple universities in the state of Georgia with basketball courts, CBA has also provided courts for rappers 2 Chainz and Ludacris.
Dominique and his wife, Sunny Wilkins, esq. are joint partners with CBA Sports. This partnership made the court possible.
Sunny is not only Dominique’s wife, she is also his agent business partner.
“I do all sorts of things. I’m his attorney, his agent, Mrs. Wilkins said. "I negotiate contracts…I go find deals and make sure they benefit him in the best way possible."
Wilkins spoke to the brothers of the fraternity upon his arrival, highlighting his path to greatness and what it takes to become successful.
“People who tell you that you can’t do something are obstacles in this world to slow you down," Wilkins said. "You go over or around them. You do not stop. Once I mastered becoming a man in my life first, I got to go set some goals, and simply used basketball as a stepping stone for those goals.”
One of Wilkins’ passions is giving back to the community, which he has shown across the country raising health care awareness. Wilkins and CBA Sports are fueling that passion with their product. In a joint effort with the Atlanta Hawks Foundation, they are actively bettering communities with public basketball courts.
“We’re retrofitting twenty community courts in the Atlanta area," said CBA executive Jay Tilley. "Kudos to the Hawks because they understand the significance of kids being healthy and fit, as well as their safety."
Tilley also pointed out that Wilkins was making history.
“Michael Jordan has his Jordan shoes. Kobe has his Nike shoe line. Dominique has always had his own signature shoe too," Lilley said. "But for the first time ever, an NBA player has his own signature court."
Wilkins became famous particularly from his twelve-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks, earning the nickname “The Human Highlight Reel” for his ridiculous slam dunks.
Wilkins has since been hired by the Hawks and currently serves as the organization’s Vice President of Basketball and Special Advisor to the CEO, as well as the Chairman of the Alumni board.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
