Latest news with #Okoro
Hamilton Spectator
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Artists from around the world transform shuttered Hamilton City Centre
In the middle of downtown Hamilton, a building at the corner of York and James is painted completely black, scrawled with colourful words and stamped with colourful characters. That building, the old Hamilton City Centre, is in the midst of a transformation. Artists, led by organizer Scott McDonald, are creating a mural they hope will be among the largest in Canada when finished. 'We'll just keep doing this until the building's gone,' said McDonald. Leyland Adams from Scarborough works on his part of the Work in Progress Festival, a portrait of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, at the former Hamilton City Centre at the corner of James Street North and York Boulevard. The massive black canvas was available due to a stall in IN8 Developments' plans for the building . The mall closed to the public on Dec. 31, 2022, to be demolished for a condominium project. Instead, due to the turbulent real estate market, the boarded-up building remains as an opportunity. After a convincing pitch to the building's owners, McDonald secured the walls to paint for the Work in Progress Festival, from July 3 to 6. More than 60 artists from countries all over the world were drawn to the massive canvas after seeing an Instagram post from McDonald advertising the idea, and they travelled to Hamilton to take part. 'It was just one post on Instagram and I got like 1,000 messages,' said McDonald. 'It's a weird small world of artists and the more you get into it, it's like the smaller that world gets.' One of those artists is Sese Okoro. Okoro, 23, has been an artist since he was a child in Nigeria, but later became an oil painter. Arriving in Hamilton in 2022, Okoro worked with oil paint, but recently spray paint enticed him, which is how he met McDonald. When Okoro saw McDonald's post about the enormous canvas, he pleaded for an opportunity, even though this was his first time spray painting. 'During the Work in Progress, I went there while they were already working and I was like 'bro please I need just one spot, even if it's the smallest.'' McDonald gave him the front of the building. Pictured on the right is Sese Okoro's character BEMO, Baddest Man on Earth, which he originally created as a child in Nigeria and named with his friends. 'It's more than just art, it's about culture,' Okoro said about the project. 'I've not felt so much joy in a while, like when people say street art saved them, that's true.' Another artist drawn to the walls is Luis Casas. Originally from Cuba, Casas moved to Hamilton two years ago to escape the authoritarian regime and persecution for his public art. Having known McDonald for nearly 10 years, they already had a relationship. And with an invite to Concrete Canvas, a multiday visual arts festival dedicated to painting murals, two years ago, McDonald knew what he was capable of. 'It creates the bar for all the artists and people who want to start to doing graffiti or street art,' Casas said of the giant mural. 'It's also like a gallery for people who want to start or are doing art and being inspired by having it in the middle of the city.' Despite the mural's expansive visuals, McDonald explains that the first iteration of it seen this summer is only the beginning. There is a second level, literally, to be created in September at Supercrawl, live. Artists are transforming the shuttered Hamilton City Centre through the Work in Progress Festival organized by Scott McDonald. 'I think it'll be a real cool spectacle for people to see, and it ties in nicely with a lot of the other art pieces that we have coming to the festival this year, which are not announced,' said Supercrawl festival director Tim Potocic. 'Then with the live painting that's going to be going at the same time, some of it will be happening over food trucks, where food trucks are serving, and there'll be painters painting up above, on two levels on lifts.' The former City Centre at James Street North and York Boulevard is being transformed into what artist and organizer Scott McDonald hopes will be one of the largest murals in Canada. McDonald explained he has already poured over 400 hours into the project, and while it has received some sponsorship, the mural has been a labour of love. 'We live for this stuff, we do the commercial work so we can come to events like this that feed the soul,' said McDonald. Démar Grant is a reporter at The Hamilton Spectator. dgrant@ Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
USA Today
29-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Auburn forward Isaac Okoro traded to the Chicago Bulls
Former Auburn star forward Isaac Okoro is being traded by Cleveland for Chicago's Lonzo Ball A former Auburn basketball star is on the move. On Saturday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Chicago Bulls would be trading guard Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for small forward Isaac Okoro. It is questionable trade for Cleveland considering the injury history for Ball. Okoro is a reliable defensive player that also has value from the three-point line. Ball will go to a backup role with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 2024 season was the fifth season in the NBA for Okoro. He averaged 6.1 points per game and was 37% from the three-point range. For his career he is averaging 8.1 points and has a three-point percentage of 35%. His best year as a professional was the 2020-21 season when he scored 9.6 points and averaged 3.1 rebounds. Okoro was drafted by Cleveland with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He played just one season for the Auburn Tigers. During the 2019-20 season he played 28 games and started each one. He averaged 12.9 points per game and 4.4 rebounds. Auburn finished that season with a 25-6 record and appeared ready to make another run to the Final Four. All postseason events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Auburn made their surprising run to the Final Four the previous season in 2019. Okoro should see more playing time in Chicago versus what he saw in Cleveland this past season. He averaged just 19.1 minutes a game after averaging 27.1 the year prior. His playing looked to diminish each year after averaging 32.4 minutes during his rookie season.
Hamilton Spectator
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Cavaliers acquiring Lonzo Ball from the Bulls for Isaac Okoro, AP sources say
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to acquire guard Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls for forward Isaac Okoro according to a person with knowledge of the agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the trade can not be finalized until the start of the new league year on July 6. Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 35 games this past season after missing the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns because of a left knee injury. The 27-year old Ball underwent a meniscus and cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 after two surgeries failed to fix an injury he suffered during his first season in Chicago in 2021-22. Ball, the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 draft, missed the last two months of the season because of a sprained right wrist. He has one year remaining on his contract with a team option for the 2026-27 season. Cleveland has a need at point guard with Ty Jerome becoming an unrestricted free agent and Darius Garland likely to miss the start of the regular season after undergoing surgery on his left big toe earlier this month. The Cavaliers had the second-best record in the NBA at 64-18 but were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Indiana Pacers in five games. Okoro averaged 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds this past season and is a strong defender who can also shoot well from the perimeter. However, he found his playing time begin to decrease over the season. He averaged 14.2 minutes in the playoffs after logging 19.1 minutes per game in the regular season. Okoro has two years remaining on his contract. ___ AP NBA:
Fox Sports
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Cavaliers swap Isaac Okoro for former No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball
The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to acquire guard Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls for forward Isaac Okoro according to a person with knowledge of the agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the trade can not be finalized until the start of the new league year on July 6. Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 35 games this past season after missing the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns because of a left knee injury. The 27-year old Ball underwent a meniscus and cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 after two surgeries failed to fix an injury he suffered during his first season in Chicago in 2021-22. Ball, the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 draft, missed the last two months of the season because of a sprained right wrist. He has one year remaining on his contract with a team option for the 2026-27 season. Cleveland has a need at point guard with Ty Jerome becoming an unrestricted free agent and Darius Garland likely to miss the start of the regular season after undergoing surgery on his left big toe earlier this month. The Cavaliers had the second-best record in the NBA at 64-18 but were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Indiana Pacers in five games. Okoro averaged 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds this past season and is a strong defender who can also shoot well from the perimeter. However, he found his playing time begin to decrease over the season. He averaged 14.2 minutes in the playoffs after logging 19.1 minutes per game in the regular season. Okoro has two years remaining on his contract. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Los Angeles Times
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Bulls agree to trade Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers
CHICAGO — The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to acquire guard Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls for forward Isaac Okoro, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the trade can not be finalized until the start of the new league year on July 6. Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 35 games last season after missing the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns because of a left knee injury. The 27-year old Ball underwent a meniscus and cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 after two surgeries failed to fix an injury he suffered during his first season in Chicago in 2021-22. Ball, the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 draft, missed the last two months of the season because of a sprained right wrist. He has one year remaining on his contract with a team option for the 2026-27 season. Cleveland has a need at point guard with Ty Jerome becoming an unrestricted free agent and Darius Garland likely to miss the start of the regular season after undergoing surgery on his left big toe earlier this month. The Cavaliers had the second-best record in the NBA at 64-18 but were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Indiana Pacers in five games. Okoro averaged 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds last season and is a strong defender who can also shoot well from the perimeter. However, he found his playing time begin to decrease over the season. He averaged 14.2 minutes in the playoffs after logging 19.1 minutes per game in the regular season. Okoro has two years remaining on his contract.
