Basketball court in Palmer Park one of 60 to be renovated by Detroit Pistons

If there’s a basketball court, you’ll likely see one or more people playing on it when the weather is nice in Detroit. Fortunately, a bunch of those courts just got some much-needed upgrades.

At an event at a recently refurbished basketball court in Palmer Park, the Detroit Pistons announced that they’ve completed 17 of a promised 60 court renovations across the city. The initiative is part of a $2.5 million investment negotiated as part of the Community Benefits Agreement for its new training facility and headquarters that opened earlier this month in New Center.

The court in Palmer Park—which had cracks on its surface and often went without nets on the rims—was badly in need of an update. The court now has new hoops, seating, and a splashy mural designed by artist Jesse Kassel that incorporates the Pistons’s colors with abstract elements inspired by basketball.

Jesse Kassel

People for Palmer Park board member Sharon Gamblin told the Detroit News that even though it’s less than a week old, neighborhood kids had already been using the court.

Others at the event included Detroit City councilmember Roy McCalister Jr., NBA champion Rick Mahorn, Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem, two-time NBA champion Earl Cureton, and members of the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan Foundation’s wheelchair basketball team. The Pistons also announced a partnership with the team, now dubbed the Detroit Wheelchair Pistons.

Additional funding for the Palmer Park court was provided by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. The city of Detroit Parks and Recreation Department will oversee maintenance.

The Pistons say that by the end of 2019, 23 courts at 14 parks will be refurbished, with the rest being completed over the course of four years.