Ahmed Abdullahi remembers watching from his 14 floor balcony one morning earlier this summer as city contractors started dismantling the hoops and digging up the ground at the old court in Dixon Park. “I almost had a heart attack that day,” the 26-year-old said. “Nobody had told us anything at all and I thought they were going to use this space for something else.
” This week, Abdullahi was watching from the sidelines as the fresh purple and red paint dried up, his face beaming with excitement as he and the rest of his neighbourhood prepared to resume basketball sessions on a fully refurbished -sized outdoor court. He stopped to admire all of it, from the new set of lights to the fresh slate of concrete and the words painted around the court that symbolized Carter’s Raptors career: 1998-99 Rookie of the Year, 2000 Slam Dunk champion, ’ franchise single-season scoring record, . Vince Carter’s nickname “Vinsanity” is painted on the refurbished basketball court at Dixon Park in Toronto.
“This is such a luxury to have and it’s so precious for us,” said Abdullahi, who was born and raised in the Dixon Park neighbourhood and regularly plays basketball here whenever he gets free time between his day job and a side gig as an Uber driver. “Think about it. He could have built it anywhere else in the city but he chose here.
We’re very lucky.” Set to be officially unveiled this Friday with , and city representatives in attendance, the revitalized court brings .