Hennessy revives dilapidated basketball court in Tsing Yi estate

Hennessy has partnered up with NBA to bring its global campaign to the basketball courts of Hong Kong. According to Hennessy this is the brand’s first ever Asian Project and it is collaborating with the People’s Place, Hong Kong art group HKwalls and Hong Kong based street artist TAXA to revitalise a rooftop basketball court in Tsing Yi. The Tsing Yi Estate basketball court suffered from dilapidating coatings and stumbling floor over the years. 

The campaign is an expansion of Hennessy and NBA’s partnership that began last year titled “The Spirit of the NBA”. Apart from huge symbolic colour graffiti, local elements such as the skyline, natural hills and spectacular night scenes of Hong Kong are also featured to create a celebrative, evolutional and communal court for all basketball lovers in Hong Kong.

Japanese street artist TAXA, who is in charge of designing the court, applied blue, peach pink and turquoise as the main tone to show the energy and revolution when the two legendary brands come together, with a pair of arms on a huge canvas that extends to the edge of the court. The design symbolizes the passion for reaching out to the goal on the court, which echoes with the brand’s commitment to seek breakthrough. The arrows at the court boundary are said to indicate natural scenery; and the two sides of the court represent the city’s skyline, alongside multiple gradient circles as the spectacular lights of the city.  

Along with the execution, there is also the launch of the Hennessy X.O NBA Limited Edition bottle which showcases the logos of Hennessy and NBA which are embodied on the gift box and bottle.

Ashley Powell, managing director of Moët Hennessy Diageo Hong Kong said the ‘Hennessy In the Paint’ is the brand’s unique global artistic initiative that aims to bring the brand’s ‘Game Never Stops’ ethos into the local community through a series of art interpretations.

“We are very honoured to have Hong Kong as the first city in Asia to launch ‘Hennessy In the Paint’. We wish to revitalise the community with quality street arts, improve its facilities and introduce ground breaking elements. It is also our commitment to promote the enthusiasm of basketball games, bringing a whole new experience and sense of community to all local basketball lovers,” Powell said.

Maria Wong, managing director of HKwalls, said that, "We are very excited for this exceptional collaboration between an internationally renowned brand and HKwalls, connecting through street art and street culture.”

Wong also shared that in 2021, HKwalls was invited by Hennessy to create a mural at the 'Hennessy x NBA Hong Kong Grand Kick-off', offering the general public a chance to experience the art form up-close and in-person. “We are thrilled to once again have the opportunity to work together,” she added.

Alvin Lo, managing director (asset management) of Gaw Capital added that with the campaign, a sense of community will not only be rallied, but there is hope that the

Tsing Yi Shopping Centre will also be revived through the gathering of consumers. spot for Hong Kong people. “We believed that thinking-out-of-the-box can unleash infinite possibilities even for a limited space or an ordinary court,” he added.

In 2020, Hennessy entered into a multi-year partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to become the official spirit of the NBA, Women's National Basketball Association and USA Basketball. The partnership tipped off during the recent NBA All-Star 2020 in Chicago, during which the cognac brand served as an associate partner of the NBA Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles. It was also the presenting partner of the pre-game red carpet. 

Giles Woodyer, SVP, Hennessy US said the NBA is a forward-thinking league that embodies its "Never stop. Never settle." mantra. "There’s an energy pulsing through the NBA that compels it to evolve, to push the limits of its own potential. Our new collaborative journey is rooted in this joint passion and will explore the realms of legacy, culture and innovation," he added.

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