This February, five of Australia’s greatest basketballers were immortalised in the form of a large mural on the Marvel Stadium. Painted by the internationally renowned Australian graffiti artist Sofles, high ranking athletes Andrew Gaze, Liz Cambage, Lauren Jackson, Andrew Bogut and Ben Simmons are depicted in their jerseys of the Australian national teams, the Boomers and the Opals.

In the lead up to Australian Boomers v Team USA games in August and the FIBA World Cup in China in September, in addition to the 18m tall wall mural, a 3×3 basketball court was created by Sofles for open use for the public. Psychedelic swirls of greens and yellows and lifelike imagery of the athletes blend seamlessly with iconic imagery of a tram and the Melbourne cityscape in the distance.   

With a career spanning more than 10 years as an acclaimed street artist, Sofles captures the energy of his subjects through the intricate translation of his imagination, making him undoubtedly one of the most identifiable artists of Australia. In this artwork he displays the pride of Melbourne, being the home of Australian basketball.  

Images by Nicole Reed.