Millions of people flock to Paris each year to experience its rich culture: the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe. Last summer, Paris hosted the 2024 Summer Olympics. And last month, the city welcomed back countryman Victor Wembanyama and his San Antonio Spurs teammates as they played two NBA games against the Indiana Pacers at Accor Arena.
Paris has always been a place where good basketball can be seen. In the red light district, to the north of the city, sits a court that has become revered. It’s one of creativity, one of intrigue.
And one of colours. Lots of colours.
In a grey neighbourhood between the ninth and 18th arrondissements (as Paris’ various districts are known), a short walk from the Moulin Rouge, Pigalle Duperré not only is a place to play basketball outdoors but also a community hub, a social media sensation — a work of art. It’s a 600-square-meter space that once was a carpark, a spot that has become another of Paris’ tourist attractions.
Curated by Parisian Stéphane Ashpool, in collaboration with creative brands Pigalle and Ill-Studio, Pigalle Duperré sits between a high school and a residential building. Its court patterns, built with rubber panels from recycled soles of old shoes to withstand all weather conditions, have regularly changed colors and appearances over the years. It’s become a must-stop for visitors, regardless of if they care for basketball. Ashpool said it’s been a viral topic of discussion since 2015.
How viral? Pigalle Duperré has a 4.5-star rating from more than 550 reviews on Google Maps. One reviewer described it as an “excellent example of urban regeneration and a good use of urban voids.” Another called it the “most vibrant and colourful basketball court probably on Earth.”
“We know it is a place now that is in a lot of tourist books,” Ashpool, 42, told The Athletic. “People are coming from all over the globe daily.”
Since opening in 2009, Pigalle Duperré has had five iterations of its court, all designed by Ashpool. The plot now showcasing his artwork once was home to a building that was knocked down in the early 2000s. The vacant space was turned into a parking lot for a school next door.
“The mayor at that time wondered why there was trouble in the neighbourhood, and the youth told him there were no places where young people could play,” Ashpool said.
Creating the outdoor court came with challenges, Ashpool said. It had to be durable to serve the community year-round. Its size was just a narrow strip, and the ground is not completely even.
Technical aspects include checking the paints on the walls and floor are the same tone. It takes roughly six months to make a design come to life with up to 20 people working on different elements, from design and production to flooring. Changing the court is not a simple task, even after gaining the financial backing of Nike, which has helped fund new designs.
The result has been a worldwide stamp of approval. Even actor Adam Sandler, who starred in the 2022 basketball-themed movie “Hustle,” has played in pickup basketball games on the court.
“I never knew it was going to be like this,” Ashpool said. “We have as many people come to play as to take photos. When we work on designs, we know the visibility is going to be high, so we really work on our craft.”
Pigalle Duperré has gone through five design changes since opening in 2009. Featuring purple, blue and yellow hues, this look was in place from 2020 until last year. (Courtesy of Maxime Verret)
City officials open Pigalle Duperré to the public — from local hoopers to aesthetic-chasing TikTokers — every day until 8 p.m. With a shop selling Pigalle brand and basketball products nearby, Ashpool is never far away from his creation. The court has a unique contribution to France’s basketball culture despite not having the history of other courts in the city. YMCA Paris, built in 1893, houses the world’s oldest surviving basketball court. The Bir-Hakeim court, which has a backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, has been a major spot for pickup basketball for some of France’s finest.
It’s the design of Pigalle Duperré that really piques interest. The striking gradient floors can shift from color to color, symbol to symbol, decoration to decoration.
“A lot of NBA players, from LeBron (James) to KD (Kevin Durant), and rappers like Central Cee and Skepta all went there to check it out,” Ashpool said.
French-born NBA player Rudy Gobert knows all about Pigalle Duperré. (Benjamin Cremel / AFP via Getty Images)
Ashpool admitted there have been attempts at imitation from others.
“From 2015, when we went viral and became a trend, everyone was trying to paint their court, which is cool,” Ashpool said. “It’s nice to have a colourful court rather than a grey court, and if you want to build a community around it, you need to make sure the court is healthy. If you just paint the floor, when it’s raining, the floor is slippery. I just want to be around to try and help people build a special court and community like we have.
“Taking care of the people and basketball has been part of my life since day one and will be forever.”
On a drizzly, midwinter day, with the second of two NBA Paris Games between the Spurs and Pacers hours away, Maxime Delci engaged in his usual weekend routine: shooting hoops at Pigalle Duperré. Despite the weather, Delci said the court remains playable, something Ashpool takes pride in.
“It is great for the community,” said Delci, who lives 10 minutes away. “Kids come by and play, and it is nice to have something nearby.”
Maxime Delci is one of several Paris locals who shoots at Pigalle Duperré. (Eduardo Tansley / The Athletic)
In addition to being a place for pickup games, Pigalle Duperré also has become an area where trendy businesses — new clubs and restaurants — find building locations. A consequence of this gentrification is an increase in housing prices, as the area becomes more popular with young professionals, Delci said. During The Athletic’s time there, visitors from South Korea stopped by Pigalle Duperré after hearing about the court through Naver Cafe, a website comparable to Reddit.
Among the many visitors were Jessica Manohar and Antoine Legar Rouen. The two came to Pigalle Duperré to take pictures and attempt some shots. Rouen is from France, but Manohar is from New York. She’s also a Brooklyn Nets fan. Both were fascinated by the captivating visuals.
“There are plenty of courts in the U.S.,” Manohar said, “but I don’t think they would ever make them Instagram-friendly like this.”
Pigalle Duperré’s Instagram page has almost 26,000 followers. Reacting to the Instagram reveal for the new design in October, former New York Giants wide receiver and Super Bowl XLVI champion Victor Cruz described it with one word: “Legendary.”
Ashpool once played in the youth academy of French top-tier side Paris Basket Racing (now Metropolitans 92). He now coaches young players on his court. He has been affiliated with the sport for more than three decades in some capacity, and through designing, it has taken him around the world.
He has designed courts in Mexico City and Beijing. Like Pigalle Duperré, those courts mesh global appeal with a unique colorway.
Stéphane Ashpool also has designed two courts in Beijing (Courtesy of Aucune Idee)
Designing has always been in Ashpool’s blood. He produced Team France’s 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics uniforms. He will do the same for next year’s Winter Olympics in Italy.
“Sports in the last 10 years have come into my industry,” Ashpool said. “You can see in (fashion) shows, and all the big designers have their sneakers. For the game of basketball, the players love to dress. In the (United) States, when (athletes) come to games, they are going to be snapped with their fits. Fashion and sports are closely related, but basketball, seems to me, is the No. 1 link.”
Ashpool, centre, is the artistic director for the design of the outfits of the French athletes for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Anne-Christine Poujoulat / AFP via Getty Images)
It helps that basketball is booming in France. Wembanyama, from Paris’ western suburbs, was the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year. The men’s and women’s national teams both won silver medals at last year’s Paris Olympics. Additionally, Paris hosted Quai 54, the world’s biggest streetball tournament.
But it is the Pigalle Duperré community, Ashpool said, that will always come first.
“Everything is grey around, the rooftops and the street, and then in the centre of the neighbourhood, you have this colour,” he said. “We try to bring good vibrations. Most of the kids that grew up around here are now in their 20s. I have known (them) since they were 6 to 8 when the court first opened. It has changed my life and the lives of some of the locals.
“When you are growing up and you are a teenager, you can be influenced by seeing what others are doing. But when you fall in love with a sport, it is a healthy addiction, and no one is partaking in bad habits.”
(Top photo courtesy of Maxime Verret)
