Alley Hoop x Duggan Community League x JD Art

Kobe Bryant Tribute × JD Art × Alley Hoop

A familiar court. A new Kobe. Painted with the community.

In 2026, JD Art returned to the Duggan Basketball Court in Edmonton to breathe new life into one of his earlier public-art projects. Using limited supply and personal supply for a passion project. 3 Days. Let’s do it!

What began as a revamp became a reimagining.

At the centre of the transformation is a new realistic portrait of Kobe Bryant, replacing the original interpretation and bringing JD Art’s current approach to realism into a court first painted three years earlier. Existing elements were restored and strengthened while new details gave the artwork a renewed identity.

But the most important part of the project happened beyond the portrait.

Kids from the surrounding community were invited to pick up brushes and help paint the mural themselves. Instead of simply watching an artist work in their neighbourhood, they became part of the artwork and part of the court’s next chapter.

The project was completed in connection with Alley Hoop’s return to Duggan, bringing together public art, basketball and community participation around a space built to be played on. Alley Hoop describes its mission as using basketball, sportsmanship and competition to strengthen Edmonton’s basketball community.

For JD Art, the project also represents progression. Returning to the same surface three years later created an opportunity to look at earlier work through a new lens, apply years of artistic growth and leave the court stronger than before.

Same court. New chapter. Built with the community.

Project: Duggan Basketball Court Reimagining
Collaboration: JD Art × Alley Hoop
Location: Duggan Community, Edmonton, Alberta
Artist: Jamelle Davis / JD Art
Community Participation: Local youth
Original Court: 2023
Reimagined: August 2026
Focus: Public Art • Basketball • Community Engagement • Portraiture