Basketball Courts A Work Of Art

PALMDALE — Many a Valley outdoor basketball court is spackled with the proof of overhead visitors. The little white dots can resemble a made/missed shot chart.

But be forewarned, Valley Audubon Society. The area over Marie Kerr Park is now a no-fly zone, after two gorgeous new composite courts were dedicated Thursday night by repatriated Palmdale favorite son Paul George.The two 94-by-50 courts resemble paintings in an art gallery with their various colors and silhouettes of Valley life icons.

Financed jointly by George and the 2K Foundations, the new courts bring a taste of the NBA to Palmdale, since they were designed and painted by an artist increasingly renowned in the league. Michael Farhap has his work commissioned and is hanging in the homes of former Clippers Chris Paul and Matt Barnes.

“This was special, because you can see what it means to these people in Palmdale,” Farhap said as the crowd variously roared and oohed and ahhed as the Highland and Knight High basketball teams played an exhibition to christen the new playing surface. “I can tell that this is something they’re already very proud of.”

He left a subtle message for would be aerial taggers, too — one of the lanes includes a silhouette of a seagull. Farhap’s work isn’t limited to other plexiglass on the backboards.  He is a cutting-edge artiste who works on plexiglass as his painting canvas. The distinctive art form has drawn the attention of a growing number of NBA players

Representatives of 2K Foundations were on hand to distribute their wildly popular NBA 2K 20 games to members of the Highland and Knight basketball teams. Also dedicated Thursday was the sparkling new 2K Gaming Suite in MKPs recreation building. It includes two 55-inch HD-enabled TVs, and two PlayStation 4 Consoles with four hand controllers. as well as new furniture.

Palmdale Mayor Steve Hofbauer summed the evening up perfectly.

“Paul George grew up in Palmdale dreaming of playing against the best players in the NBA,” Mayor Hofbauer said. “And it all happened on our courts, in our parks.”