Shoot the Ball

The Philadelphia 76ers had some special visitors during their game against the Seattle SuperSonics on March 7th. Shoot the Ball stopped by the Wachovia Center to have some of the Sixers and their fans take part in their ‘basketball’ project.

Shoot the Ball is the self-funded project of Angelina and Noel Andreoni, who are trying to unite the world through one basketball. Noel says the goal of Shoot the Ball is simple, to connect people from across the world by having them shoot a basketball.

“We are passionate about basketball, but we are more passionate about what basketball can do off the court,” Noel said. “We bring this ball into classrooms of middle and high school students and talk to them about pursuing dreams and passions and appreciating culture diversity.”

Shoot the Ball is now in it’s seventh year. It has visited 28 different countries and 50 states. It traveled through China, Thailand, Vietnam, Russia, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, England, and toured South America. It has been to remote places like Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Easter Island, and the Arctic Circle. It visited the site of the world’s most famous ‘shootout’- the O.K. Coral. It has also made stops at basketball hotbeds like “Phog” Allen Fieldhouse at Kansas University and Rucker Park in Harlem, New York City. Over 4,300 people and one elephant have now shot the ball and in turned connected themselves with others from across the globe.

Noel and Angelina say they have been using the same ball since day one, a Spalding Infusion, because they can inflate and deflate the ball while traveling. Noel says their Spalding doesn’t really leave their side, and has its own special travel bag. When asked whether or not they would ever get a different ball Angelina said she hopes this one lasts forever, but added that Shoot the Ball isn’t about a basketball but what basketball can do for people. If the ball does have to be ‘retired,’ Shoot the Ball hopes that it will be retired in the Basketball Hall of Fame so that basketball fans can take part in the program as well.

In 2007, Shoot the Ball teamed up with Spalding to be their official sponsor. Spalding donated over 800 balls for Shoot the Ball to distribute during the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities in New Orleans, LA. While there, Shoot the Ball was not only able to touch the lives of hundreds of children, but also had Hall of Famers Bill Russell and former 76er Julius Erving and Rap Artist Ludacris shoot the ball.

While living in Las Vegas, Noel and Angelina came up with the idea for Shoot the Ball. At the time they were working as a valet and cocktail waitress and decided that they needed to do something more with their lives.

“We would walk home every night with money in our pockets and holes in our hearts,” Angelina said. “Why were we doing it? We weren’t enjoying our lives. Money became our key drive, and so we sat down and wrote a list of things we enjoyed doing.”

That list included basketball, photography, writing, traveling and meeting people. Shoot the Ball became a culmination of all of those things. The next thing they needed to do was to go and share their experiences with people. That year, Shoot the Ball started their journey as a little-known grassroots campaign. Seven years later Shoot the Ball has touched the lives of thousands of people. Noel and Angelina have no intentions of slowing down either.

“We have visited 28 countries and I think there are 196, so we have a long way to go,” Angelina said.

Shoot the Ball will travel to Springfield, MA in April to visit the Basketball Hall of Fame. To learn more about their travels or find where they are shooting the ball next go to www.shoottheball.net.