Want a pickup basketball game? With a King-sized endorsement, app makers have you covered

The sun was shining with hardly a cloud in the blue sky on a beautiful February afternoon in Sacramento on Thursday. It was a perfect day for some basketball. But where to find a game? There’s an app for that.

As part of Black History Month, the Sacramento Kings spotlighted Hoopmaps last Thursday at Southside Park. The app was created to help basketball players meet and play pickup games at local parks. It was created by twin brothers Donte and Dominic Morris in 2016, who graduated from Sacramento State in 2011.

Donte Morris, 31, described what sets his app apart.

“Hoopsmaps is unique because it came from some guys that actually really wanted to play basketball,” Morris said. “We are a user, we are a target market. So we know what it’s like to search for games and play different games as well.”

Kings newly acquired forward Anthony Tolliver, who is now in his second stint in Sacramento, served as an honorary coach at an event highlighting the app last week.

“It’s always good to be out in the community, show your face a little bit,” Tolliver said. “Most people in general just kind of see us on the court or maybe on TV, but being able to get out in the community and give back a little bit, it’s always a fun thing.

“I’m just like you, you know, just a little taller.”

Each game was 5-on-5, played on the full court with the Kings’ “SAC” logo at the center. A group of adults and one child laced up their sneakers for the game. The child was 8-year-old Tristan Murry Jr., who was draining threes like a natural in front of Tolliver and his father Tristan Sr., 31, who also played in the game.

Initially, both teams wore black-and-orange Hoopmaps jerseys with the Morris name and No. 16 on the back, until white T-shirts with the Kings logo on the front were distributed to differentiate the two sides.

When picking teams before one of the games, a team captain attempted to select Tolliver to play on his team, prompting a player from the opposing team to interject with “No, this ain’t 2K,” referring to the popular NBA2K video game franchise and causing laughter all around.

The sun shone brightly on the court at Southside Park, making it more difficult for players shooting on one end to see the basket. The two teams battled back-and-forth, there were a winner and loser, but ultimately everyone had a nice afternoon getting exercise and playing the sport they love.

Joshua Krebs, 27, got a workout. An 8-year-old player? An NBA player? It doesn’t really matter who’s on the court, Krebs said.

“Nowadays, whether you’re 8-years-old or you’re even 80-years-old, you can get outside and play hoops as much as possible and Hoopmaps enables that,” Krebs said. “People can find other people, build relationships and they can play some ball.”

Tolliver recalled growing up in Springfield, Missouri, and said he would’ve used an app like Hoopmaps if it were around in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“We grew up in a time where you just show up at the park and you hope people are there so that you can play,” Tolliver said. “But with an app and using technology, it takes some of the guesswork out and also allows you to locate some games that maybe you didn’t know about. So, it’s a really cool concept.”

This story was originally published February 9, 2020 at 10:12 AM.