As a special way to kick off opening day of the 2022 Hoops in the Sun basketball season, a ribbon cutting was held on the basketball court at Orchard Beach Saturday afternoon to unveil the newest Sunrise Everest mural.

The Rising Suns league unveil the artwork – completed through a collaborative effort by Project Backboard, an organization which renovates public basketball courts.

Founded in 2015, the nonprofit's mission is to renovate public basketball courts and install large scale works of site-specific art on the surface to strengthen communities, improve park safety, encourage multi-generational play, and inspire people to think more critically and creatively about their environment.  

It took nearly three years to cultivate and create the mural due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Hoops in the Sun CEO Joe Cruz told News 12 that the mural is a representation of how the community will be able to play under one umbrella.

"We want to save lives and continue to keep our youth in a safe space, so that's my role,” said Cruz.  

For anyone interested in watching the games online, the games to follow will be livestreamed on the Clash TV app.