Bryson Tiller partners with Nike to revamp basketball courts in his hometown

R&B singer and songwriter Bryson Tiller returned to his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, with a gift that community members won’t soon forget.

Tiller teamed up with longtime partner Nike to revamp the popular Wyandotte Park in south Louisville. The renovations were revealed to hundreds of fans whom Tiller stopped to hug, sign autographs for and take selfies with after an introduction by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. Kids wore Nike-sponsored shirts with one of Tiller’s favorite messages of encouragement, “It’s possible here,” printed on the back. The message is also inscribed on the court sidelines to serve as a daily reminder to anyone who visits the court.

“I never thought this day would come,” Tiller told the crowd Wednesday. “I’m happy that it’s finally here. I’m surprised so many people came out here to show love … I just want to tell y’all, everybody always used to tell me that you can’t make it out of Louisville, Kentucky. You gotta go somewhere else — I disagree, because I made it out of this city. So if anybody on this court right now got a dream, you believe in yourself, you can do it. You can do this, too.”

The revamped space features three new courts that were designed to not only give the park a face-lift but also keep kids occupied and out of trouble during the summer by providing positive activities. For Tiller, being able to restore new life to the basketball court is something he’s looked forward to doing.

“Every time I come to Louisville, I just drive past on Taylor Boulevard, and I used to just see this court,” Tiller said earlier in the day. “I’m just like, ‘Yo, man, that court looks terrible. It’s time to do something to that court.’ ”

After the ceremony, Nike held a three-hour basketball skills clinic for local children. Tiller concluded the evening with a pop-up concert, performing music from his sophomore album, True to Self, which currently stands at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.

This isn’t the first time Tiller has partnered with Nike to show his hometown some love. In December 2016, Tiller teamed up with Nike Sportswear to craft his own version of Louisville-inspired Air Force 1 Bespoke iD sneakers.

“I wore a uniform to school, so the white-on-white or black-on-black Air Force 1 Low was the simple sneaker to wear, but it was the standard,” Tiller said. “You were cool if you had on a pair of Air Force 1s. It’s still a staple for me while on tour.”

The custom design included an upper in university red leather “to recreate the look and feel of boxing gloves,” according to the site. The eye stay and custom tongue tag honored the branding generally found on the same gloves. The city-inspired design on the midsole and outsole, along with the word “possible,” complete the shoe.

“Whenever you fly into Louisville, you see a sign that says, ‘It’s Possible Here,’ ” Tiller said. “I remember my first time seeing it … I was working on my debut album, and I just thought, ‘Wow, it is possible here.’ Everybody always thinks you have to move out of the city and go where the music industry is, but it’s possible in Louisville and it’s possible anywhere. You just have to believe.”