Recap: All-Star Weekend

Beyond the Court

The energy of the NBA All-Star Game recently descended upon Chicago, and Chicago Beyond showed up and out to highlight some of the incredible work happening around our city. We were especially grateful to host Beyond the Court alongside True Chicago and Leo Burnett, which turned into a dynamic afternoon focused on the intersection of creativity and athletics.

The interactive experience included a panel of Chicago creatives and those who work in sports entertainment to speak about how the game of basketball has driven their own passion in their respective fields. Panelists included ESPN analyst Brooke Weisbrod, Designer and Artist Brandon Breaux, Actor Wood Harris, former professional basketball player and current Head of Sport Specialty at Gatorade Tommy Adams, and Juan Woodbury EVP/Creative Director at Leo Burnett.

The sports mindset was spoken about throughout the afternoon, and when asked how sports in general has impacted their creativity Brandon Breaux said that his benchmark for high level of performance has been Michael Jordan. “His will to win, showing up at practice before everybody, and leaving after everybody. For me, it was adapting those lessons of that mentality to whatever I chose to adapt it to, to get results like Jordan in whatever sandbox I play in.”

Reflecting on his own life experiences, Wood Harris added “sports helped me develop my competitive nature. It gives you all these dreams – when you watch Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James – those unforgettable moments in sports no matter who the player was. They make you shoot hire.”

When speaking about who were their individual influencers in their careers Brooke Weisbrod gave us the story of her high school coach, Chris Mack whose impact on her gave her the thought that, “being a professional you never stop, you actually don’t take any practice plays off. So if I go hard in practice, then maybe the games will slow down, and that’s was what exactly happened.”

Thank you to all our sponsors for the afternoon including Seoul Taco and Triple Crown Chicago and our beverage sponsors Vital Proteins and GT’s Kombucha.

NBA Equality Lounge: When Women Lead

Our Founder & CEO, Liz Dozier, took part in a panel at The Equality Lounge, @ NBA All-Star 2020 – a space for leaders — in Chicago and beyond — to share where their strength comes from, what inspires them, and why it’s important to embrace risk (and occasionally fail).

The panel, “When Women Lead – Why Success Begins with Service,” centered around how each speaker recognizes the ambitions of those around them and pours into their strengths. The conversation emphasized that by inviting others to the table and creating opportunities for those who are underrepresented, women leaders are creating a global impact and driving the inclusion revolution. Click here to see quotes from leaders at the Equality Loung throughout All-Star Weekend.

Moderator: ● Carmita Semaan, Founder, Surge Institute

Speakers ● Shawna Ryan, Director of Experiential Marketing, Gatorade ● Diahann Billings-Burford, CEO, RISE ● Janet Foutty, Chair of the Board, Deloitte ● Liz Dozier, CEO, Chicago Beyond ● Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury, WNBA ● Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces, WNBA