Origin story of "Regular Hoops Runs"
1-year anniversary of our in-person community
Subway rides to write this: 6
Regular Hoops hosts in-person community events 2x month…
…but I’ve only attended 1 of them.
Why?
Because they happen in LA (and I’m in NYC).
These events are called the Regular Hoops Runs…
and today is our 1-year anniversary!
So I wanted to share (1) how this happened and (2) highlight some top moments.
**For those unfamiliar with basketball lingo, “runs” is another way of saying “pickup basketball”… it’s not actually running lol**
The Lore
Regular Hoops Runs was started by my friend Ziad Hijazi.
We met August 2023 during my summer in LA—when I booked a one-way flight with no plans or connections.
I told a bunch of crazy stories from that summer…
but how I met Ziad might be crazier now that our relationship has grown.
A Cold DM
To keep things (relatively) short, I created videos for the Veniceball Instagram page that summer.
Ziad liked the post I made below since he followed the Veniceball account.
His named popped up in my notifications after liking that video, and it stuck out because I had a family friend with the same last name.
So I clicked on his profile and saw…
He’s Lebanese
He’s living in Santa Monica
We had a lot of mutuals in the basketball space
My train of thought then went…
I’m Lebanese
I’m living near Santa Monica
We both know people in the basketball space
So I just shot him a cold DM. Here are the initial messages lol.
So yeah, that’s how the relationship started, and we’ve been close ever since.
Ziad’s girlfriend thought he was crazy for responding to my initial message and inviting me to a family event because…
“What if he is going to kill you?”
I think she was only half-joking about that haha.
Do it yourself
Ziad and I hung out a couple other times that summer.
I told him more about Regular Hoops and the brand’s mission—to make regular people feel included in basketball culture—which really resonated.
He shared that he used to be part of a basketball community called TechRuns.
It’s the reason we had many mutual basketball friends.
I also learned that TechRuns would host consistent basketball runs in LA, but it unfortunately stopped.
Ziad told me he wished TechRuns was still around because of the community-aspect.
So I blurted out…
“Why don’t you just start your own basketball runs?”
He acknowledged this, and we left the conversation there.
I didn’t think much of it at the time, but that moment was an inflection point.
Say less
I left LA and moved to NY in September.
About a month into being in NY, I got a text from Ziad.
And then Ziad surprised me with a call shortly after asking,
“Can I call my runs the ‘Regular Hoops Runs’?”
He shared how the Regular Hoops mission embodied his runs.
I can’t recall the exact words from that phone call, so yesterday, Ziad refreshed my memory with a voice note saying,
“The reason Regular Hoops and this run align so well and why the message of Regular Hoops resonated so well is from the core principle of how there are so many people out there who just go about their lives and are just regular people… but they have this intense passion and love for the game.
And that bond and connection of basketball builds relationships in stronger and quicker ways than most other mediums or platforms can.
If you hoop with somebody, play two or three games, and go on a little win streak. Then all of a sudden they’re your dog next time you see them out. Next time you see them on the court, that's someone you know and have a foundation of trust and connection.
So the fact that Regular Hoops really embodies that and focuses on those people— who aren't necessarily NBA superstars or big media personalities but still dedicate so much to the game—that's what makes this run and and the message of Regular Hoops so aligned.
Because that's really what it's about—connection through basketball.”
(Ziad Hijazi, November 2024)
1 year of buckets
Ziad has full ownership over the Regular Hoops Runs and has grown it into something special.
I help out with brand deals and content ideas, but all of the work gets done by him and the LA community itself.
Here’s are some of the highlights:
Product Integration
Growing from Within
Community Development
Product Integration
We’ve partnered with the hydration drink BARCODE and a sleep performance company called Sport Sleep Tape to give product to our community members
They activate at our runs, which allow members to try out the products live.
When the runs started, Ziad would buy drinks and bring a cooler himself to make the experience great for the community.
So it’s nice to see brands help cover these costs by consistently providing drinks and coolers.
Growing from Within
Beyond the material things, the most important part of the runs is the community.
And a sign of a good community is when the members proactively make the community better.
Credit to Ziad for willing it into existence…
…but it wouldn’t be where it’s at today without everyone’s support.
Shout out to Miguel (who helps co-manage everything with Ziad and leads the community whenever Ziad is out).
And thanks for Angel for always helping out. He’s made merchandise, filmed some of the runs, and been a consistent contributor to the community beyond playing.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to see how the community continues growing itself.
There’s only so much we can do individually. It takes a team to go to the next level.
Community Development
My favorite moment has been seeing the community grow organically.
We’ve (1) had new friendships form, (2) seen old friends reunite, and (3) curated a good vibe.
For example, the community goes to basketball games together now.
And they compete in other LA tournaments under the name “Regular Hoops”
I have a lot of faith and trust in Ziad & the community to make this run even more special.
Want to help out?
I want to create a similar community based in NYC.
But it is a lot of work, and I’m focused on the core of the Regular Hoops brand—which is the content.
So if you’re reading this and think you could help make an NYC Regular Hoops Run happen, then pleeeeease reach out.
I’d love to get more people involved in spreading the Regular Hoops mission…
It could be in whatever city you’re at too! Just reach out and we’ll chat!
The lessons I learned
Cold DMs work (if vibes seem good, act on them)
Good things take time (friendships, trust, events, etc.)
Build a community that grows itself (we > me)
PS—if you happen to be based in LA and want to join the existing community, then fill out this form to get added to our email list.
“Subway rides to write this” is a metric I share at the start of every blog to show that making content doesn’t need to be so difficult. You can find the time to create during everyday activities.
Each subway ride for me is ~15-30 minutes long.
And…
Please note: some of my new blogs (Sept’24 and beyond) contain a lot of satire and should not always be taken at face value.
Expect to see typos, wordy/repetitive sentences, passive voice, and anything else you’d expect from a “D-” graded high school assignment.
Because that’s my writing ability according to my first ever hate comment back in 2018.
Happy Anniversary to the Regular Hoops Runs ☄️🔥💪
What an amazing story! The world needs more hard working and kind people like you and Ziad.