Week in the life at NBA All-Star Weekend
"Showing Indy Love" with an "attitude of gratitude"
If you’re new here… Hey! It’s Danny. I’m the creator of Regular Hoops—a brand on a mission to make regular basketball players (aka Regular Hoopers) feel more included in basketball culture.
I write these blogs to share my progress and reflect on the journey. If you enjoy reading, please leave a like… or else you’ll get dunked on.
Last month, I traveled back to my Midwest roots for NBA All-Star Weekend (ASW) in Indianapolis ⭐️
I was on the HOOPBUS “Show INDY Love” tour—its 5th annual ASW campaign that celebrates the (1) NBA All-Stars, (2) host city, and (3) global basketball community.
Through grass-roots youth programming and court renovations, the tour also unites brands, athletes, and influencers to leave the city a little better than we found it.
Regular Hoops co-led social media & content production with He Got Next for this HOOPBUS tour from Feb 12-19.
The actual NBA All-Star events are from Feb 16-18. But we got there early to host free events for the greater Indianapolis community.
And for the first time, HOOPBUS brought TWO buses to NBA All-Star Weekend—enabling the non-profit to double its impact. So I wanted to (1) share everything we did and (2) reflect on the experience. Topics include…
🏀 Hooping in a barn & on a race track
📸 Filming videos as on-camera talent
🙏🏼 Having an “attitude of gratitude”
Everything we did
I’ll go day-by-day and write in a “vlog-style” (which is the definition of a blog lol). Don’t know if that’s going to be the most interesting to read, but I just want to have everything out there.
There are many little things that go forgotten in the content & experiential worlds, so this is a place to store those memories.
And please keep in mind that everything I write about is just what I did. There is so much more that happened on this tour… it’s just impossible to be in two places at once.
Day 1: Monday, February 12th
Indiana Airport
I landed in Indy around noon, and the first place I visited was the basketball court at the airport.
Although nobody could play on the court, it caught everyone’s attention and captured the city’s excitement for a basketball-filled weekend.
I wasn’t planning to make a video at the airport but refused to let the opportunity go to waste… also the lighting was amazing lol.
I recently bought the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and spent the weeks before testing it out in NY. I loved using its active tracking feature and wireless mic to film the video below.
It was the first Regular Hoops video published with me on-camera.
I didn’t think too highly of my feature, so I appreciated friends and people I’ve met on the Regular Hoops journey show love.
NBA Crossover
From the airport, I dropped off my duffle bag at the AirBnB and ubered to the Indianapolis Convention Center—home of the NBA Crossover.
NBA Crossover: “A multi-day interactive fan event that brings basketball culture to the forefront, featuring more than 350K sq. ft. of basketball and interactive experiences, player appearances, live performances and unique activations focused on art, music, fashion, technology and entertainment!” - (NBA)
The NBA invited HOOPBUS to activate at the NBA Crossover, so I went to get the bus ready. This meant doing the little things like cleaning up and putting pictures on the ceiling of the bus.
As mentioned, HOOPBUS brought two buses to ASW. One of the two buses was stationed at the NBA Crossover all week.
Most of what I did at ASW was on the second bus. So it was nice to see the behind-the-scenes of other large-scale activations.
The Church
From there, I headed over to Woodruff Place Baptist Church (aka The Church) to remove some scaffolding from the gym.
HOOPBUS renovated the gym at this church for ASW, so we had to get it ready for its grand opening to the public on Thursday.
By no means is this fancy, and it isn’t something I’d post in a video. Nevertheless, these are the things that go unnoticed and deserve recognition. Everyone on this tour had to be selfless for it to be a success.
Before leaving the Church, I got a nice care package of PUMA Hoops merchandise and shoes. Any clothing or shoes you see me wearing this whole week were basically provided by PUMA or HOOPBUS.
I spent the evening reconnecting with friends and editing the airport video shared earlier so I could post the next day.
Day 2: Tuesday, February 13th
The next morning, I woke up around 6am to make breakfast. Had three eggs, some turkey bacon, and an avocado. I made this meal almost every morning.
Indiana University
By 7:30am, we were out of the AirBnB and headed to Indiana University (IU), which was over one hour away from downtown Indianapolis.
Once on campus, we headed to Assembly Hall (IU’s Basketball Arena) to get hit some trick shots and tour the locker room.
This is a video I produced (also with me on-camera) that highlights trick shots and former Indiana Basketball student manager, Gabe Hilt (BA ‘19). I interviewed him about what it means to represent the historic program.
After leaving Assembly Hall, we met with current Indiana Women’s Basketball player & all-time leading scorer, Mackenzie Holmes.
She got her “bus pass” (aka scoring a bucket on the HOOPBUS) and did an interview about her basketball story.
John Wooden Middle School
From Bloomington, we drove up to Martinsville to host an assembly at John Wooden Middle School.
This school is special because it is named after Indiana legend, Coach John Wooden.
Renowned for his “Pyramid of Success” leadership strategy, he is considered the greatest NCAA basketball head coach of all time.
As much as we soaked in the basketball relics, history, and methodology of this school, we were there to put on a show for the students.
HOOPBUS school assemblies are typically made up of (1) motivational speeches, (2) trick shots, and (3) basketball games vs. the students and/or teachers.
This video made by He Got Next gives a great sense of the energy at the assembly.
The Dust Bowl Tournament
After arriving back in Indianapolis, we attended a panel about the Dust Bowl, which is a tournament that played…
“a key part of Indiana’s basketball history and helped shape a once segregated black Indianapolis community” (WRTV.com).
The panel included current IU Basketball Head Coach Mike Woodson and Dust Bowl legends. We also got to preview a documentary called "Out of the Gardens: A Dust Bowl Story.”
After the panel, some of the Dust Bowl legends got their HOOPBUS bus passes.
Similar to the prior evening, I spent it editing the Indiana Basketball video shared earlier so I could post the next day.
Day 3: Wednesday, February 14th
This might have been my favorite day all weekend because we got to play basketball without thinking about brand partnerships and youth programming.
McFarland Family Barn
Woke up and made the same breakfast. Then we rolled out to the McFarland Family Barn.
This 100-year-old barn had a basketball hoop inside. So instead of playing “King of the Court,” we played “King of the Barn.”
King of the Court: “A continuous game of 1-on-1, using make-it-take-it rules.
If the defensive player does not get a stop, then he/she goes to the end of the line, and the next defender comes in to guard the player who just scored. If the defender does get a stop, then he/she becomes the offensive player, and the offensive player goes to the end of the line.
Players should keep track of their own individual score, and play to a target number that you have established before the game begins. The first player to reach that target score is the King of the Court” (Basketball for Coaches).
Here’s a video I produced (again with me on camera!) that highlights Nick Ansom—the HOOPBUS founder—celebrating his “King of the Barn” victory while reflecting on his journey & honoring Indiana basketball history.
If it wasn’t for my hay allergies, I definitely would have won.
The Hoosier Gym
Luckily, I had a chance to redeem myself at the legendary Hoosier Gym.
“It is famous for being a filming location for the 1986 basketball movie Hoosiers, starring Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper. The gym was the home court of the movie's Hickory Huskers. The facility has retained the same appearance as when the movie was filmed in 1985. The gym attracts 80,000 tourists to the town per year.” (Wikipedia).
This is probably one of the most well-maintained gyms in the world. We got to play a full game, which my team won (not that it matters or anything 😅).
Here’s a video of me hitting a regular three-pointer (🎥: @carterleague).
Nick’s 40th Birthday
After hooping and filming all day, we got back to the AirBnB to get dressed in a suit-and-tie for Nick’s 40th birthday party.
This wasn’t a “hit-the-club” kind of night, but rather one of family, friends, and faith. The celebration was hosted at The Church with a family-style food set up.
The most impactful moment of the night was when people shared their stories of Nick, and how he impacted their lives.
I remember privately reflecting on how my life has changed because of Nick. He was the first person to take a real chance on me. But more importantly, he made me feel seen in a world where it’s easy to feel lost.
Feeling inspired, I left the party around 11pm and found a backroom in The Church to edit the video for the next day, which was the Barn video shared earlier.
It was 2am the next time I looked at the clock. Almost everyone had left, so I ended up sleeping at The Church on an air mattress. It was so cold, and I literally slept in my dress clothes and a random hoodie found in the backroom.
Day 4: Thursday, February 15th
But the good thing about sleeping at The Church was eating the party leftovers for breakfast haha.
This powered me through the day, as we unveiled the two court renovations that HOOPBUS organized.
The Dreams Court
The first was The Dreams Court. In collaboration with True Religion and Aku, HOOPBUS constructed a colorful court and placed world flags across a Northwest Middle School gym—encouraging kids to “build worlds around dreams.”
Aku is a digital art brand created by former MLB player turned artist, Micah Johnson. He built this brand to…
“represent the power of dreaming without limits. Our mission comes alive through innovative storytelling, art, high-quality products, and unique digital collectibles” (Aku.world)
The video below captures the entire process of bringing this court to life. I wasn’t involved in the painting process, but those who did, pulled all-nighters to finish the court in time.
Special shoutout to the students who helped paint the court and the volunteers who helped install the flags.
We hosted a school assembly for the kids here and then did a larger one in the school’s main gym.
After the assembly, thanks to our sponsor PUMA, we had kids shoot on the HOOPBUS outside next to a customized Porche.
This retro Porche drove around with the HOOPBUS for the remaining activations, adding more excitement to the tour.
The Church
From one court renovation to the next, we then headed to the Woodruff Place Baptist Church (aka The Church).
This 160-year-old church is a community staple in Indianapolis. It offers after-school activities, a basketball court, and a "Ministry of Love" food pantry for the local kids.
HOOPBUS, Veniceball, Local Hoops, and Electrolit transformed The Church by resurfacing its basketball court, adding iridescent backboards, and remodeling the second floor.
We hosted programming at The Church all week, including youth basketball clinics with community leaders, influencers, and NBA players.
To kick things off, former NBA player, Yogi Ferrell, led a youth clinic and then cut the ribbon to inaugurate the court.
Yogi was the perfect person to do this because he is from Indianapolis and grew up playing basketball at this church gym every Saturday with his father.
I made a video capturing what that means to him, as his father passed away a week before the court opened.
Day 5: Friday, February 16th
Sunday Washed Club
This day started with some 9am basketball at The Church organized by Sunday Washed Club (SWC).
SWC is a basketball social club based in NY where everyone in the community works in or adjacent to the sports industry.
And the inspiration behind the name is hilarious.
Sunday is traditionally known as Laundry Day. And since everyone playing never had their “basketball dreams” come to life, we now compete as “washed-up” hoopers.
I first joined SWC when I was an intern in Summer 2022. I featured them on Regular Hoops back when the community was much smaller.
There used to be no waitlist to play, but now the signup fills up in UNDER 1 minute.
I enjoyed hooping with familiar faces to start the day as we chatted about our ASW plans and how everything was going.
Oh, and I had this nice clip ⬇️
Steal → Wrap Around Dribble → One-Legged Three-Pointer 🎯
Crispus Attucks High School
After getting in a good hoops session, we went to host an assembly at Crispus Attucks High School.
Crispus Attucks is a historic basketball school in Indianapolis. NBA legend Oscar Robertson attended the school in the 50s.
At the assembly, True Religion gave us a bunch of merchandise to hand out and brought out a surprise guest—WNBA All-Star Kelsey Mitchell.
She said a few words of encouragement to the students.
From there, the HOOPBUS talent competed in an intense 5v5 game with the Crispus Attucks Varsity Basketball Team.
HOOPBUS barely came out on top.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Short on time, we “raced” the HOOPBUS over to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500.
Thanks to Red Bull, we only had the race track for a couple hours. We brought the HOOPBUS onto the track and started playing basketball.
The weather made the pictures look amazing, but the snow and freezing weather were brutal out there—especially when I went to film my video (as on-camera talent) ⬇️
It was cool to hear from an INDY 500 expert and learn why Indianapolis loves racing and basketball. We saw the Borg-Warner Trophy, which features engraved faces of each INDY 500 winner since 1936.
Fun Fact: The trophy is valued at $3.5 million.
NBA Crossover
The day only got crazier, as we visited the NBA Crossover to see what the other HOOPBUS was up to.
Today was the first day of the NBA Crossover, so walking through the convention center with the whole event set up was surreal.
My favorite activations (other than the HOOPBUS one) were Starry, Wilson, and DoorDash.
Starry built an LED basketball court and hosted a three-point contest for fans to compete in. Multiple NBA players stopped by as well.
And they had a mini pop-a-shot to the side. I played against Gio from He Got Next. I beat him twice (again, not that it matters or anything 😅)
I enjoyed the Wilson activation because I got to test out the 3D-printed “Airless” basketball. This product just released for $2500 lol.
The DoorDash activation had some of the coolest prizes that anyone could win if you guessed the trivia questions correctly.
They set up a bodega in the convention center and hosted a trivia competition every few minutes. Based on how many points you scored, you would receive prizes like a JBL wireless speaker and headphones.
They were giving these out all day, not just a one-time thing. Great to see brands really understand how to engage with consumers.
Overall, most brands did a great job. Here’s a video my friend made recapping the entire event.
Google Pixel Combine
To end the day, we went to the Google Pixel Combine—this was a space filled with activations using the Google Pixel camera.
HOOPBUS has partnered with Google Pixel in the past, so even though we didn’t work with them for ASW, we were invited to stop by and enjoy the event.
It was a great networking environment. I got to catch up with other sports industry friends.
I also might have been in the greatest photo of all time haha…
We didn’t get home until midnight this day. So I didn’t have time to edit a video for the next day. I was exhausted and fell asleep immediately.
Day 6: Saturday, February 17th
AMHOOPS
Similar to yesterday, I started today with some more 9am basketball at The Church. But this time, it was hosted by AMHOOPS.
AMHOOPS is a NY basketball community that hoops every Tuesday and Friday at 7am. It’s a competitive run filled with former college basketball players. NBA player Wilson Chandler even pulled up one time.
I’ve filmed a few of the AMHOOPS sessions in NY, but for ASW I decided to play.
This might not have been the best decision because I was starting to feel sick… but also because I ended up in an edit 😭
Watch the video below to see how this happened.
But don’t get things twisted, I balled out that morning and came right back with a response video.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. Youth Clinic
Once the AMHOOPS session was over, the HOOPBUS team split in two. Some of us traveled on the bus to host a PUMA activation. While others stayed back at the Church to film a youth clinic with NBA player Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jaime plays for the Miami Heat. He was selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge and Slam Dunk Contest. We were fortunate to have him stop by right before the Slam Dunk Contest.
I mic’d him up and made a video highlighting his dream about going to the NBA ⬇️
PUMA Giveaway at the Church
While the team wrapped up, we organized a surprise PUMA giveaway for the remaining kids at The Church.
We told them that if someone hit a half-court shot, they would win free shoes.
No joke—the first kid to attempt the shot made it!
PUMA Giveaway at Lucas Oil Stadium
In the giving zone, I then headed over to Lucas Oil Stadium to execute an activation with PUMA and Red Bull that included giving away some more shoes and merchandise.
It was freezing outside, so we made sure to give away everything quickly haha. Here’s a video recapping the moment.
Day 7: Sunday, February 18th
This was the day of our main event.
Unfortunately, I woke up really sick and could not be a part of the whole event.
Our main event consisted of a (1) youth clinic where we gave away hundreds of shoes thanks to PUMA and Champs Sports, (2) dunk contest with NBA player Mac McClung, and (3) 3x3 basketball tournament.
The only thing I managed to film was our dunk contest in the morning. After that, I isolated myself and just edited videos.
Dunk Contest with Mac McClung & Jackie Young
Mac McClung won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest the night before, so the crowd was hyped when he came to the event to be a judge in the HOOPBUS Dunk Contest. WNBA All-Star Jackie Young pulled up to be a judge too.
Here’s a video I made that captured all the top dunks… our dunk contest was better than the NBA’s haha.
It hurt not to be out there with friends all day. It was a special event, and I wish I could have captured more of those moments.
We even had the local news come by to do a story on us. Click here to watch the 3-minute news segment.
Day 8: Monday, February 19th
Still sick, but feeling better, I flew back to NY at 3pm.
The airport even had a basketball hoop at the gate lol.
I used the rest of the day to relax and reflect on the week.
Reflection
Something that Nick (HOOPBUS founder) emphasized at school visits was to have an “attitude of gratitude.”
When I first heard him say it, I just thought it was just a clever one-liner. But as I thought about it, the saying resonated with me.
Gratitude is how you “Show Love” to friends, family, and the culture.
With that in mind, I want to say thank you to everyone who helped me on this journey.
One year ago, I was filming random students at my university’s gym. Now, I just led content production for one of the most impactful non-profits in the world at NBA All-Star Weekend.
I had set many goals for ASW, like posting a video every single day. This ultimately failed as I didn’t expect my schedule to be so hectic and tiring. I was expecting ASW weekend to be more networking, but in the world of content, that was not the case—and I love that.
I pushed myself to my limits… until I physically couldn’t do anything. Those late nights and early mornings got the best of me at the end, despite my effort to eat healthy and stay active during the week.
Getting sick crushed me, but revealed how much I love the work and the people.
I want to win more, and this was just the first step to something greater.
If you made it this far, thank you… you’re a real one.
The dream is free but the hustle is sold separately! Love the dedication to the game my guy
Love reading your updates! This was so cool to get a behind-the-scenes written vlog lol. Keep it up bro, you’ve got so much in store for you 💪🏾🏀