BSKT issue one fosters a printed passion for basketball
The world of basketball knows no bounds. The sport’s fan base continues to grow, from collectibles to star-studded collaborations – just watch ‘King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch’ on Netflix to get a feel for the prestige behind the merchandise. It’s within this world that BSKT magazine thrives. Taking a leaf through December 2022’s debut issue, BSKT aims to direct our gaze to the various subcultures within the sport. It is these subcultures where the interest and intrigue sit for some and BSKT looks to hone in on its dynamic storytelling.
The glossy green cover presents a strategic visual from the front – showing the basketball court in line art from above – as if hand-drawn. Further lines add movement points within the court, similar to that of drawing new plans by team management in the half-time. The white lines on green is an interesting choice as the shiny courts of the NBA are commonly made from maple wood – a pale aesthetic. This time we see it in almost a field visual, with white movement lines pointing to the letters of the magazine name, B, S, K and T (pronounced “basket”). But we also see the colour scheme changing per issue as others issues continue the court drawing but on blue and yellow.
Issue one opens with a quote by Bill Russell, the legendary American center player who passed away in 2022. “Be the best you can at whatever you do,” it reads, adding an air of inspiration to the tone of the content that is to come. The entire issue is text-only, giving it a highly editorial approach. Focused on interviews, BSKT has spoken with Youssef Khayat, Jeremy Sallee, Dunk Comp, Snipt, Muggsy Bogues, Piskv and Kohei Kobayashi. The first article with which is Dunk Comp, a media-driven nostalgic driven account showing highlights from a huge range of basketball games. Speaking with Paul, one of three members behind the project, he touches on Australia’s history with the NBA and the “limited access” the country had during the sport’s golden era. With an emphasis on great music and a deep appreciation of players, this combination makes for highly engaging content. Paul notes that basketball is “poetry in motion” and is a great tagline to also relate to the Dunk Comp project – as all their content is about media. When viewing their website, they’re even selling a zine of their own. Named ‘Bullsh!t Zine’, it’s a 64 Page full colour A4 zine “showcasing the Bulls squad on and off the court during their historic run.”
Nicknamed ‘Yo-Yo’, Michigan player Youssef Khayat is interviewed personally about stepping into the shoes of a ‘Wolverine’ – the full name of the team being the ‘Michigan Wolverines’. An insightful discussion, Youssef talks about the dream of playing basketball professionally as a boy and the “special” feeling related to walking out on court for the first time as a ‘Wolverine’. With the beating heart of the interview relating to the dream, there are further articles that continue this emotional journey with the sport. One of the most insightful pieces in BSKT was the ‘How to get a college basketball scholarship’ by Isaiah Barnes. In its 3 pages the article details some crucial steps that draw eyes to the talent behind the applications – including making highlight reels with friends, listing out colleges for limitless options and a note that finding a mentor is invaluable for support during the recruitment process.
"It is that embedded passion of basketball that BSKT aims to foster and drive into our psyche, similar to how nostalgia re-ignites a previous love of a subculture, or whatever it may be."
Stuart Williams, Owner of Overleaf
In the middle of the magazine we find ourselves meeting Francesco Piskv Persichella (a.k.a. Piskv), a street artist, painter, illustrator and architect based in Italy. Famous for his huge, vibrant murals around Italy – Piskv’s work (from Instagram) is heavily focused on basketball, amongst other themes. He notes that Italy “has a large basketball culture” and discusses the impact it’s had on culture in an in-depth interview. With the architectural edge, Piskv recalls a basketball court project with Red Bull where they created the court and a skatepark in Rome. These collaborations have risen his profile in recent years, giving a sense of the clients that have collaborated with the artist. He also talks about the creative process behind the murals and working with the NBA – but also expands on the dream to “go to the USA” – the home of basketball.
We also meet super fans of the sport, an endless source of knowledge behind teams, players and general facts. But we also delve into shoe designs with Jeremy Sallee – the Head of Design for Puma Hoops. Their latest designs include a collaboration with Cheetos and another with movie franchise Gremlins. “Inspiration comes from anywhere,” Jeremy notes, and is reminiscent of the magazine’s approach – a completely diverse pool of interviewees and writers from all corners of the sport. It’s Jeremy’s reference of his childhood when he bought the Reebok Questions – originally designed for Allen “The Answer” Iverson, Puma notes on their website. He started drawing shoes at a young age and has since created apparel designs, accessories and cartoons for one of the largest clothing companies in the world.
Along with some legends in merchandise, there’s a surprise in store for gaming fans in the final third of issue one. ‘NBA Jam’ was released in 1994 on Sega Genesis and is reviewed by David (a.k.a. Sports Video Game Reviews Guy) for the magazine. Noted as a pioneering game in the review, it recalls the actions available throughout the gameplay, announcer classic lines and some “pretty cool” dunks. The early 90’s player rosters and some of the “bigger players can more easily shove the smaller players to steal the ball” – a bit unfair if you ask me. But it’s this game that has captured a generation, on arcades across the U.S. and it was rebooted most recently in 2010 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms. The memories related to the release shimmer through David’s words and this passion is completely relatable even to a non-player. It is that embedded passion of basketball that BSKT aims to foster and drive into our psyche, similar to how nostalgia re-ignites a previous love of a subculture, or whatever it may be. As readers of BSKT we’re constantly shifting between the various narratives across art, in-depth game knowledge, merchandise and personal stories – a carousel of hoop-related content in printed form. Posted on Instagram at the start of 2024, the fourth issue is on its way to a summer release.
Where to buy
Here are the stockist websites for this magazine title. These may include social media links only.
BSKT – Instagram (contact directly)
No Diploma (images courtesy) – Official Website
From Instagram: “Available in NY, Paris, PDX, Amsterdam, LA, Kanagawa, MTL, LDN, PHILA, TO, Tokyo, BGK, ZUR, DC”
Correct at time of writing.
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