Fine Art Basketball Hoop Photography Featured in Courtside Candy by Gestalten

Basketball Art + Culture Book - Courtside Candy by Gestalten

Where Streetball Becomes Sculpture

The basketball hoops I photographed in Courtside Candy weren’t made in factories or sponsored by brands. They were made by an artist (Nick Ansom), welded together in backyards, bolted to alleyway walls, and patched together with whatever materials were around; bike rims, plywood scraps, milk crates, rusted steel. In Venice Beach, this isn’t junk. It’s basketball art.

Each hoop reflects a specific personality. Sometimes playful, sometimes gritty, always creative. They’re part of a larger story about the culture of the game. These aren’t just functional backboards; they’re sculptures. And like all good art, they say something about the people who built them.

Venice Beach: A Legacy of Basketball and Creativity

Venice Beach has always been more than a postcard, it’s one of the most iconic basketball communities in the country. It’s where pickup games turn into performances, and where the court is as much a canvas as the chaos and mural-covered buildings around it.

Courtside Candy lives in that space between sport and expression. The hoops in this series represent the DIY spirit that runs through Venice’s streetball scene. They speak to resourcefulness, style, and the love of the game without any need for polish or perfection. In a place where surfing, skateboarding, painting, music, and basketball all collide, these hoops feel right at home.

About the Courtside Candy Book

The Courtside Candy book is a visual archive of this subculture, a historic collection representing the culture of basketball, celebrating the infinite ways the game has been translated into art by people all over the world.

Each piece unique on its own, but collectively, and along with the beautiful writing by Ben Osborne, the book tells a different and vitally important story about the games influence.

Click here to view and purchase available prints or contact me directly if you’d like a basketball print of any photograph not already listed.

Part basketball hoop, part sculpture. This Venice Beach alley setup is a reminder of how the game adapts to its surroundings

One of the many hoops that reimagine basketball as public art, photographed in the back alleys of Venice

Basketball hoop made from found materials, photographed as part of an international basketball art book

This photograph is part of a published series that explores the creative edge of basketball culture in America’s urban spaces

Equal parts sculpture and sport, this Venice Beach hoop transforms function into form, blurring the line between art installation and basketball court

From the streets of LA to the pages of Courtside Candy, these handmade hoops carry a different kind of history.

Basketball Wall Art

BASKETBALL HOOP PRINTS

For the past fifteen years, I’ve been photographing basketball hoops across the backroads, small towns, and cities of America. Not the gleaming gym setups—but the ones that have been patched, bent, weathered, and played on for decades. You’ll find them nailed to barns, welded from scrap, or barely standing in overgrown fields. Each one tells a story—not just about basketball, but about community, resourcefulness, and the places we grow up in.

This collection of prints features both color and black-and-white photographs, all available as limited editions in a range of sizes. Some are quiet and nostalgic, others graphic and bold—but all of them speak to the soul of the game and the beauty of everyday American scenes.

Whether you’re a lifelong basketball fan, an art collector drawn to Americana, or a designer looking for something real and unexpected for your space—these hoops offer more than just a connection to the sport. They capture a piece of American history, told through backboards and rusted rims.

Every print is museum-quality and made to last. Each one comes signed and numbered, part of a carefully curated series that I’ve been building for over a decade. If one of these reminds you of your own home court, or just makes you stop and feel something, well, that’s exactly why I started this project. And I’m proud to say that this project has been published in magazines here in the states as well as overseas and exhibited in fine art galleries and museums.

Click HERE to shop my basketball hoop prints

Basketball hoop wall art for residential design

Ohio basketball hoop print

Sunset basketball hoop print

Unique basketball hoop print

Kansas City Basketball

Basketball Hoop Photography - Prints

Story Behind The Image

Of my many vices, BBQ is damn near the top of the list. Food in general is a big part of my life, but great BBQ is an especially large weakness. Many years ago while driving cross country, I stopped in Kansas City for some of their famous meat, and almost immediately complained to friends about the quality of that particular establishment. One of them recommended Arthur Bryant’s on Brooklyn Avenue. Ever since that trip AB’s has been a must stop anytime I’m within a couple hundred miles. They don’t miss. You know walking in there that they are going to take care of you. The place just feels right. Like walking into Madison Square Garden, you can feel the history. What the hell does this have to do with basketball? Nothing really, but if you’ve ever had a proper plate of BBQ, then you know the only thing that follows is immense satisfaction followed by meat sweats and a nap. So the ritual goes that I eat too much food, sparing the napkin full of scraps that are saved for Mojo who is (was) always waiting in the truck, drool already hanging several inches from his mouth. Poor bastard had to sit there while the smell of burnt ends and pulled pork wafts steadily in the window. After his treat we go for a long walk which turned into the same familiar route over the years. One of the regular sites is an abandoned school that I’ve made some mediocre images of. Viewing it from the outside always led to daydreaming of what the  gym inside looked like. As luck would have it, while walking by one year the plywood on a ground floor window was ripped off and the metal grate had been ripped open. That’s an invitation, right? Of course it is. Anyone that takes if for anything less is a fool. So I hopped in the window with a tripod, camera bag, and a headlamp. Kansas City summers are hot to say the least. Inside a sealed off brick building is something else altogether. It felt like you could chew on the air in there. Walking into the gym didn’t even seem real. My jaw must have drooped right to the floor. Couldn’t believe what a gift I was handed.  The whole room was all but gutted, yet the backboard still stood. I could have been happy in there for days. Still though it wasn’t a place to be for long. There were obviously people squatting and I didn’t have much interest in them knowing I was there. So after waiting waiting waiting for my lens to defog, a few frames were made, and I hit the road without any interactions between the squatters or the police. Moral of the story is eat more BBQ. 

If you’re a photography collector looking for basketball wall art, please contact me directly. All of my basketball hoop photography is available as fine art prints - rob@robhammerphotography

AMERICAN BACKCOURTS - FINE ART PRINTS

There is no greater compliment to a project than when a person decides to hang an image on their walls. Buying art for your wall is a commitment and an expense, so it makes me extremely grateful when my image(s) is chosen out of all the other options in the world. It’s also satisfying to think about the personal connection to people across the world. Even though I may never meet most collectors in person, it’s fun to think about my images in their homes and the joy they receive from looking at them on a daily basis.

Click here to grab a fine art print from American Backcourts for yourself

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American Backcourts

Last week I listened to a podcast with Sturgill Simpson being interviewed by Rick Rubin. Rick is Rick. He’s a legend. And Sturgill is one of my favorite musicians. Not just because he’s extremely talented, but because he takes risks. Every album is different from the last which probably causes him to lose a lot of fans. During the interview Rubin asked if there were any major things that happened to him which greatly improved his career. His answer was great. He talked about a visit to Merle Haggard’s house where they met for the first time. At that point Merle was already a living legend and one of Sturgill’s heroes. Inside the house was the only Grammy Merle ever won. It was on the ground all banged up and scratched, being used as a door stop. At that point Sturgill knew that nothing mattered but the music and the awards don’t mean shit. Sure, awards bring attention to the music, but they don’t make it any better or worse. A turning point for him.

A long time ago I came to that same conclusion and let go of any desire or need to create images that I thought other people would like. It was the best move I ever made. From that point on there was a major change in my photography and the direction of my career. Those changes can cause a lot of short term stress, but ultimately worth it in order to achieve the long term goals. Working on a project like American Backcourts, which has now been going on for 9 years, you go through many different emotional stages. Along the way everybody wants to tell you what you should be doing. If I had a dollar for every person that said I needed to go to New York City to photograph all the famous courts there! While I appreciate their enthusiasm, we just don’t share the same vision. Much respect to those courts and their history, but that’s not what this project is all about. Besides, there are some guys who have been doing that and doing it damn well. If city hoops are your thing, check out Kevin Couliau and Thai Neave. They both do beautiful work. Ultimately, anyone in my position just wants to find a way to connect with other like minded people who will appreciate their book. So it felt great to have an interview/article on the front of the sports page in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Hoosier state. If ever there was a group of people who could appreciate my style of basketball imagery, it’s the Hoosiers. Dana Benbow did a great job with the article, and people really connected with it. Since the publishing a lot of people reached out saying how much they enjoyed it and my project. What more can you ask for? I’m really thankful for all the books headed to Indiana this week because I know the people who bought them think like me and will get a lot of joy from the content. Long live the personal project!!

Click here to grab a book for yourself or as a gift!

Click here to read the Indy Star article.

American Backcourts

Beyond excited to finally be sharing the forthcoming (November 15th-ish) book with everyone!! I could probably go on talking about this project for days, but the world doesn’t have an attention span for that, so I’ll try and keep it quick. Also know that I’ll be posting more about this in the coming weeks as the book comes closer to release. Even now sitting down to write this I’m not sure how to keep it short. The video itself probably best describes how I feel about basketball and this series that I’ve been shooting for the past 8+ years. Like most of my projects, I believe it was a “thing” even before realizing it. If you’ve followed “The Basketball Hoops Project” for any amount of time, you know this this was all inspired by a picture of Larry Bird’s childhood hoop. As a kid, he was my hero, and I just couldn’t understand how one of the greatest of all time could have grown up playing on a rusty old rim hanging on a dilapidated old barn in the middle of Indiana. I was certain that all the greats came from the inner cities and were afforded the finest facilities. That image of Bird’s hoop and the story it told never left my head as I got older and began traveling as a photographer. During those cross country road trips (with my dog Mojo) I would encounter hoops just like Bird’s and couldn’t help but stop to photography them, always wondering what stories they would tell. After taking the photos I didn’t give them much thought, as my main focus was on a different subject (Barbershops of America) altogether. Then time went on and people started responding to the Hoops images I would post on various social media channels, and I realized that a body of work had really developed. At some point, Hoops became the new focus and things started to snowball. Now, almost 9 years later, I’m just as obsessed with the project as I was then.

A few weeks ago I received the unbound proofing copy of the book, and couldn’t help but feel as though this is the most complete body of work I’ve every put out. And a lot of that has to do with the collaborations I entered into after understanding how important it is to hand over to control of the things you aren’t good at. Being honest about what you don’t know is an important trait in life. Is it pertains to this, the best thing I did was to work with an editor. A professional who understands the importance of giving it to you straight. Someone who isn’t emotionally connected to the project and will edit the images in a way that’s best for the project as a whole. Which often times, means saying bye to your favorites! This is a huge lesson for me, and one that I’m infinitely thankful to have learned. I also worked with a designer on this book to give it the visual attention it deserved. Again, knowing what I don’t know. I’m not a designer and can’t expect to make a book look good on my own. Trust in the professionals! There is no situation in life where it isn’t important to surround yourself with people who are smarter or better than yourself! It only raises you up to their level. I’m quite confident in my abilities as a photographer, but when it comes to editing and design, I’m very much an amateur.

There is a whole lot more to say about this project, but for now I hope you enjoy this teaser video. I think it says a whole lot about the game of basketball, and sums up why I continue to love this project. Stay tuned for more info about the book’s release.

**The book you see is a digital mock up as I have not yet received the hard copies. The text on the real thing looks slightly different.

American Backcourts

This most recent road trip was very productive. More so in America and fly fishing departments, but nonetheless, I was still able to sniff out a hoop or two that I’m happy with. If there is anything difficult about this project, it’s that the bar continues to rise. Making it harder and harder to find unique scenarios that I’ve not seen before. This shot below has a “feel” to it. Without seeing any of the surroundings, you’re able to get an idea of where it was made. Nevada, as it were. A state I’m becoming quite fond of. Although, this time of year it’s hell on earth. I’ve been quietly putting in a lot of time on the Hoops Project. If COVID has produced anything positive, it’s the free time to look more closely at what’s important. And for me, personal projects are right at the top of the list. This one has been going on for 8+ years now. So a book is well overdue….

Click here to purchase a fine art print from this series.

Nevada - 2020

A wood backboard and rim hang on an old barn in rural Nevada - The Hoops Project