Jason Yip’s story began with his passion for basketball. Unlike the stereotype of basketball enthusiasts, he has a balance of both dynamism and quietude. He loves playing basketball on the court, as well as writing. He volunteered to be a sports reporter in secondary school and later, influenced by the course at IVE, he decided to devote himself to the sports industry and embark on a diverse career. As a former senior editor and reporter for a basketball magazine, he has travelled to the United States, Canada, and Japan to interview NBA stars. Nowadays, he works as an administrator for a sports organization, while also spontaneously operating SLAB, a sports promotion platform with his basketball friends. He has also published books with illustrations to introduce Hong Kong and overseas basketball courts, dedicated to promoting basketball culture. Unexpectedly, his efforts have been recognized by commercial property owners, who have hired him to renovate basketball court in public housing estates, which has even become the first local estate basketball court to win an international architectural design award. To this day, Jason continues to explore different projects, using basketball courts as a base to tell the story of every Hong Kong home court.
Passion for Basketball, Fascination with Street Courts
For Jason Yip, the happiest moments of his childhood were spent in libraries and on basketball courts. He loved reading literature and playing basketball in the estate courts, where he met a group of like-minded friends. He described himself as quiet but observant, preferring to record what he saw and heard on the court through words and photos. The dynamics of the court, as well as the results of various leagues and tournaments, naturally became his source of material. Therefore, during his secondary school years, he volunteered to write for sports magazines, eagerly interviewing basketball matches and discovering stories in the sports world.
Later, he enrolled in the Higher Diploma in Sports Management and Training Science at IVE. The diverse content of the course fostered active learning and a positive learning atmosphere, inspiring Jason to explore his career path. He admitted that many of his classmates were professional athletes who mostly focused on obtaining various coaching licenses, while he had a greater interest in sports event planning and interviewing. Fortunately, his teachers tailored their teaching to his interests and provided advice, greatly encouraging him to pursue his own path in the sports industry.
Dedication to Sports, Building a Basketball Dream
Upon graduation, Jason joined a sports organization as a full-time administrative staff member. Now, after 16 years, he has become the administrative manager of the organization. With the support of the organization's management, he has continued to pursue his career as a sports journalist in his spare time, devoting himself to the sports industry whole-heartedly. As a journalist, he is grateful to the publishing house for giving him the opportunity to travel to the United States to visit various NBA stadiums and interview well-known basketball stars such as LeBron James and the late Kobe Bryant during his farewell All-Star Game. Although he had the chance to meet his idols in person, he maintained his professionalism and ethics, overcoming various obstacles to ultimately complete the globally renowned basketball match interview, which became the most memorable moments of his career.
Jason has always dreamed of visiting basketball courts around the world and documenting their unique features. When he discussed this topic with his basketball friends, they all shared similar ideas. Instead of just talking about it, they decided to action and launch a dedicated webpage. Starting from Hong Kong as their home court, they introduced hidden street courts, naming the webpage SLAB. The name is meaningful, inspired by the names of early long-shaped public housing blocks, which are the places where he and three of his friends grew up together. In 2017, the team was invited to publish the book "Street Courts", which collected and recorded their experiences through words and photos, including 11 "home courts" in Hong Kong and five street courts visited overseas.
Designing Home Courts, Winning International Recognition
One of the Hong Kong "home courts" introduced in "Street Courts" is located in Kai Yee Estate in Kowloon. This rare covered street court is surrounded by double-decked yellow iron frames, resembling a "golden iron cage, city in the sky". However, this court has now been renovated, and the SLAB team was hired by the operator to innovate the Kai Yee basketball court. They retained the original yellow iron frames, repainted them with a deep grey colour, and paired them with transparent backboards also used in the NBA. Coupled with a stylish and fashionable design, they created a blend of Eastern and Western elements, old and new, attracting young people to play basketball and take photos there. Surprisingly, they even won the 2019 Urban Land Institute Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence, gaining international recognition.
Jason continues to promote the innovative combination of local culture and basketball through SLAB. In 2017, they received sponsorship from a chain sportswear brand to organize the "Defend My Court" three-on-three street basketball tournament series. Last year, when the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) held an international three-on-three basketball event in Victoria Park, the SLAB team seized the opportunity to recommend introducing Hong Kong elements to the organizers and successfully persuaded the Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association to participate. They brought the "national-level intangible cultural heritage" Tai Hang Dragon Dance to Victoria Park, combining basketball and dragon dance performances in an innovative way to kick off the tournament and introduce Hong Kong's traditional and cultural characteristics to citizens, tourists, and players visiting Hong Kong for the competition.
Consistent in Beliefs, Hoping to Revitalize Street Courts
Remaining passionate about basketball street courts, Jason believes that they allow the public to freely enter and exit, and every big or small game carries countless memories of people's youth. Nowadays, with the booming development of the internet and the prevalence of electronic entertainment, street courts have gradually become deserted. However, Jason remains unwavering in his efforts to promote street basketball culture, hoping that young people can feel the charm of the courts and revive the lively atmosphere of the past. He firmly believes that the passionate, blood-boiling atmosphere of the street courts represents true, warm social interaction that cannot be replicated in the virtual world. He hopes that more people will pay attention to the sports culture industry, awakening the public's attention to interpersonal relationships and community, and thus establishing their own personal "home court" in life.
