What happened to NLE Choppa's basketball court in Memphis? Vandalism leaves community disappointed

Memphis native and rapper NLE Choppa donated a basketball court at the city's Raleigh Community Center in partnership with Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman. However, the court only lasted two weeks, as it was vandalized recently, which left the community saddened.

According to WREG Memphis, the court caught fire on Sunday evening, and the Memphis Fire Department responded to it. They were unable to save the court; the fire was due to the fireworks that were set off in the middle of it.

Memphis Parks Director Nick Walker released the following statement after the incident:

"It is very sad that this random action destroyed a new and valued community asset. Memphis Parks really appreciates the partnership and sponsorship that led to the creation of The Dream Court, and we really look forward to finding a way to get an asset of similar quality back into the Raleigh community.

"We have been in touch with Lieberman Charities and NLE Choppa to express appreciation and support for the Raleigh community."

NLE Choppa and Nancy Lieberman unveiled the new court on May 24, which was attended by many members of the community. It was one of many courts built around the country with the help of Lieberman Charities.

The rapper, whose real name is Bryson Potts, is from Memphis and was very proud of the first basketball court he donated. He shared several images and videos of the unveiling ceremony on Instagram, with the caption:

"Big Thanks To Nancy Lieberman and The City Of Memphis! My First Basketball Court For City And This Won't Be My Last."

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Who is NLE Choppa?

NLE Choppa (Photo: NLE Choppa/Instagram)

NLE Choppa was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. He went to Cordova High School before breaking out in the music industry back in 2019 with the single Shotta Flow, which reached the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. He also released his debut album Cottonwood that same year.

The 20-year-old rapper is a huge fan of his hometown Memphis Grizzlies. He became the first artist to lead the Grizzlies on the team's home opener of the 2022-23 NBA season.

Despite his success at such a young age, the Champions rapper has already set his sights on giving back to his community.

In an interview with WREG Memphis last year, he explained that he wants to help kids because they are the future.

"I'm young myself," the rapper said. "I'm only 19, so I'm a part of the youth as well as they're our future; they're our upbringing, and one thing I just want to focus on is, we save our youth."