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Tomas Satoransky, Barcelona: Refurbishing Prague court was 'super cool'

Tomas Satoransky, Barcelona: Refurbishing Prague court was 'super cool'

Interviews

25 January 20235 Mins read

Geoff Gillingham

Tomas Satoransky, Barcelona: Refurbishing Prague court was 'super cool'

Providing inspiration for the next generation is something that many athletes aspire to, but some are able to go above and beyond. One who did so is FC Barcelona guard Tomas Satoransky, who wanted to give something back to his hometown of Prague last summer.

With the COVID-19 pandemic having impacted many people in the Czech Republic, particularly those from a lower socioeconomic background, Satoransky decided to use his platform to do something that would positively impact many people – regardless of age – in Prague. As the 31-year-old explained to Euroleague Basketball, he helped refurbish a legendary streetball court in a bid to increase the number of people playing basketball, as he looks to use the sport a force for good.

"I was thinking about [refurbishing the court] for a long time. Actually, when I got to the NBA, because I saw so many other players doing that," said Satoransky. "It's kind of like giving back to the basketball community, to try and motivate kids to not just do basketball but sports in general. I think, during the COVID era, it was super important that something like that happened or was made reality. I was very thrilled that this happened during the summer; it was a lot of work and we did it in a pretty short time period, because we tried to do it before our EuroBasket that we hosted [in the Czech Republic]. I think it was super cool."

"It's something that I wanted to do for a long time."

While the old court design was more in the classic style, Satoransky helped bring more life and energy with his fresh ideas. Previously, the court was largely green and had an orange area for the paint, whereas now, there are a number of colors that immediately stand out. What's more, there is an image of someone playing basketball as part of the design, as well as Satoransky's logo in the middle and also a screen for the best plays to be shown when events are held there. In short, Satoransky has made the court feel like something fit for the 2020s.

"They sent me a couple of different ideas," Satoransky stated. "I wasn't the one making it, but I was just picking the coolest things for me. I was also seeing it from a different view, because sometimes there's a lot of things on [the court] but you don't see the lines. You want the court to be practical, but also cool. I think we picked the right one."

You may be wondering why Satoransky chose this specific court and not another in Prague. Well, when he was younger and even when he was taking his first steps as a professional basketball player, he came to this court as a sort of safe haven; it was the go-to spot for basketball fans in the Czech capital.

"That's the most legendary streetball court," Satoransky noted. "I would sometimes go and play, even when I was in Spain, in the summer. You know, before I was worrying about injuries and all that stuff. I think, also, to open the court outside, it's something that I wanted to do for a long time, because it's also a different feeling playing basketball outside; it's like more freedom, I would say."

When the refurbished court opened last summer, one of the first events that took part there was a 3x3 tournament organized by Red Bull, who partnered with Satoransky to help update the design and implement some new features. On the day that the final took place, Satoransky couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Red Bull was one of the main sponsors and they did a great, great job. The opening was part of their streetball tournament that they host," Satoransky said. "There were three different tournaments, and then the final was on the court that was opening. A lot of people went there. There were like 2,000 people – I did not expect that, so I got chills when I saw that. That's not normal in the Czech Republic for basketball."

Now, though, Satoransky is so motivated by the success of this project that he is thinking about taking it across the Czech Republic, although he first wants to see more of the public's reaction before doing so. Nevertheless, he has called on his fellow players and athletes to try and replicate something similar.

"I felt like that this was also a tryout for us to see if we can make it and what it's going to do," he commented. "Maybe we're going to motivate some other players or different athletes to do something like that. I feel like the court can be designed, renovated or built not only in Prague but around the Czech Republic. Hopefully I can continue with that! We'll see, when I go back after the season, how much it really affected everybody and we'll try to see the feedback, but I hope that we can do many more projects like that."

Satoransky has shown himself to be a role model with his actions, and his decision to refurbish this court could provide a platform for the next Satoransky or Jan Vesely to be born.