FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup showcases UpCycle Planet installation in Miami

13 Nov 2021

MIAMI (United States) - The FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup inaugural event arrived in Miami on November. 12, and the event spreads far beyond the basketball on the court.

The event showcases basketball planters made by Upcycle Planet founder Isabella Green.
Her art illustrates the intersection of sport and art in a city rich with culture and diversity.

"The life cycle of a sports ball used to be created in a factory, used for X amount of years, thrown out and rot away in landfill. Upcycling adds to this cycle by prolonging the ball's life cycle, and the value of the ball changes, because art adds value to everything."

The used basketballs Green upcycles are on display as part of an installation curated by Green for those in attendance of the event when teams from 16 different countries in the Americas play at Bayfront Park in Miami.

"My craft is a combination of sport and fine art; it breaks down a barrier between two types of people and gives them a common ground to enjoy in a way they never have," said Green.

This installation speaks across many different languages as countries like Uruguay, Haiti, Jamaica, Aruba, and Guyana arrived during the qualifying draw, looking to take on some of the game’s premier teams in United States, Canada and Brazil.

The FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup also allows these countries to showcase their art on the court as players.

"It shows me that there is room for innovation everywhere, in the way that FIBA is evolving and creating new ways for us to enjoy the sport, I get to be the person who prolongs the life cycle of the instruments of the game," said Green.

As the discipline made its Olympic debut over the summer, with a focus on sustainability at the Tokyo Games, Green hopes to be able to add an extra element to another inaugural event for FIBA 3x3 while maintaining a standard of staying green to lengthen the lifespan of a basketball, and in turn, the game.

“My art is based on respecting nature and keeping objects out of landfill, when we are able to combine sustainability with sports, we create a future for the next generation to be proud of and expand on,” said Green.

Green’s installation provides a different look at how basketballs can be used, the same way the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup is providing a different standard of 3x3 tournaments.

"What matters to me most, is that people stop and look, and ask themselves, ‘how was this painted on a used basketball?’ It gives them a chance to see that used doesn't mean broken, old doesn’t mean discarded, and that we can create something beautiful if we give the objects around us a second chance,” said Green.

FIBA