Episode 62: Lori Powers and Survival Hoops

Dear Adam Silver

Lori Powers is a Los Angeles based artist that works with found objects collected from neighborhoods near her home to create characters that she installs on the streets where she momentarily impacts drivers to get out of their heads and into their heart while passing through her neighborhood. A passionate, senior, gold winning basketball player she lives for the day she can get back on the court with her team safely. Her art, like basketball, is a team event. On the court the thrill of receiving a lightning speed blind pass to put in a bucket never gets old.

Lori is on the pod today to discuss her recent work Survival Hoops made in collaboration with Nico Naismith. The two have created over a hundred basketball hoops out of found objects (a surfboard, a grill, a baby carriage and more) and installed them all over the streets of LA during the pandemic, when park hoops were closed off. The movement of Survival Hoops has now spread all over the world! Huge thank you to vagabond pick up basketball player, brilliant writer and previous podcast guest Isaac Eger for writing a beautiful piece about Lori and Nico's work in the LA Times and for putting me in touch with Lori as a podcast guest. If anyone is interested in making their own survival hoop and needs help, you can email Lori at [e-mail]. And a huge thank you to Lori for coming on the show!

Here is Isaac Eger's piece in the LA Times and here is the short documentary on Survival Hoops made by a local CBS station in LA.