Foot Locker is celebrating Jimmy Rogers, founder of the Brixton Topcats basketball club, at its Brixton shop and across Europe throughout October.
Jimmy Rogers founded the Topcats, who play at Brixton Rec and are now a registered community interest company, in 1984.
He passed away in 2018 – recognised as a leading figure in Brixton, basketball and the wider community.
The club’s mission is to provide high quality opportunities for young people in South London, both on court and in their lives in general.
Not only are the Topcats an integral part of the Brixton community, they have also fostered the careers of stars like Luol Deng and Andrea Congreaves, the first Briton to play in the WNBA, as well as several Great Britain internationals.
Foot Locker said it has a strong commitment to work with grassroots clubs and has chosen four clubs across Europe to represent Foot Locker.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) recommended the Topcats for the UK.
“We are deeply honoured,” said Topcats’ chairman Richard Thomas, who is Jimmy’s son.
“Their commitment has included a renewed and refreshed website, a donation of T shirts and sweatshirts for our community and Basketball England teams, and shop sales donated to the club during the month of October.”
There is also a “very awesome” display outside and inside the Brixton shop marking the significant difference that Jimmy Rogers made to the community and to literally thousands of Lambeth residents, said Richard.
The association was soft launched via social media yesterday (7 October) and has already had a very positive reception.
Richard said the club was deeply appreciative of Foot Locker’s backing, “which contributes to vast increases in costs due to Covid, and to continuing the legacy of Jimmy Rogers.
However, he said, the club still has a deficit of £13,000 and would welcome support from the community to clear it via donations.
The club’s contribution to the community ranges from informal sessions to Basketball England competitive matches. Children and young people from four to 19 are “the focus and ethos of our club,” said Richard Thomas.
