NBA launches “Creator Series” in Europe featuring specially commissioned artwork in celebration of league’s 75th anniversary season

LONDON, August 01, 2022 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced the launch of the “NBA Creator Series,” a series of original artwork commissioned by the NBA featuring artists from France, Greece, Italy, Spain and the UK in celebration of the league’s landmark 75^th Anniversary Season in 2021-22.

Featuring a diverse range of styles and compositions, each piece of artwork is centred around the artists’ passion for the NBA, their favourite moments from the league’s history, and the connections between Europe and the game of basketball.  Beginning tomorrow Tuesday, Aug. 2 and continuing every Tuesday throughout the month, each piece of art will be released across the NBA’s social media channels in Europe.  Each release will be accompanied by behind-the-scenes video content of each artist focussing on their development of the artwork and relationships with basketball and the NBA.  Below are brief overviews of each artist participating in the NBA Creator Series and their work:

• Anaïa Hoard (France): Anaïa, who has represented France internationally in basketball, including winning a gold medal at the 2017 U-16 European Championship and a silver medal at the 2017 U-17 World Championship, combined her passion for basketball with art studies in the United States.  Born in Evreux and living in Montpellier, her profile as an artist grew significantly when she began to share charcoal portraits of athletes and artists on her Instagram account because of their staggering realism.  She also takes inspiration from causes that matter to her, which comes across in her work.  Anaïa’s artwork will be released Aug. 2 on Facebook (@NBAFrance), Instagram (@NBAEurope), Twitter (@NBAFrance) and YouTube (@NBAEurope).

• Charis Tsevis (Greece): Based in Pafos, Cyprus, Charis is a multiple award-winning visual designer, illustrator and art director who specializes in digital mosaics, high-complexity illustrations and neo-futuristic compositions.  Since 1996, Charis has been a visiting professor of editorial design and typography at several educational institutes around the world and has delivered lectures at a number of national and international conferences and symposiums.  Charis’s artwork will be released Aug. 9 on Facebook (@NBAHellas), Instagram (@NBAEurope), Twitter (@nbahellas) and YouTube (@NBAEurope).

• Maria Emegé (Spain): María Emegé is an illustrator, video game concept artist and designer from Madrid.  She has illustrated for international companies, books, magazines and NFT galleries, and has given lectures and taught classes at the university level.  Her specialty is traditional watercolor art, with which she paints live at events and sells original work to major art collectors.  Maria’s artwork will be released Aug. 16 on Facebook (@NBASpain), Instagram (@NBAEurope), Twitter (@NBAspain) and YouTube (@NBAEurope and @NBASPAIN).

• Reuben Dangoor (UK): British artist Reuben Dangoor creates work heavily influenced by current affairs and his surroundings in London.  As the first artist to bring the stars of the Grime music movement into British museums, his work and collaborations have appeared in TV shows and as part of consumer and fashion brands and videogames.  In 2018, his work went viral when his line drawings of the England Men’s National Football Team were picked up online, in print and on TV.  Reuben’s artwork will be released Aug. 23 on Facebook (@nbauk), Instagram (@NBAEurope), Twitter (@NBAUK) and YouTube (@NBAEurope).

• Francesco Persichella (Italy): Born in Bari, Francesco Persichella, aka “Piskv,” is an architect and visual artist currently based in Rome.  Having always been interested in architecture and art, he tries to find a synthesis through street art that allows him to interact with the architectural context, enhancing it through the beauty of representation.  His artistic career developed in Italy’s capital city, where he made himself known by carrying out numerous street art interventions in the city and participating in exhibitions and events.  His aesthetic ranges from the realistic to the futuristic-cubist geometric style, all united by a purely figurative attitude.  Piskv’s artwork will be released Aug. 30on Facebook (@NBAItalia), Instagram (@NBAEurope), Twitter (@NBAItalia) and YouTube (@NBAEurope).