The Lakers commemorative basketball designed by Arutyun Gozukuchikyan.
NBC Sports and all 30 NBA teams are celebrating the love of the game and their home cities with the 30 Rocks live activation, featuring the works of local artists ahead of the return of the NBA on NBC.
In addition to immersive art, meet-and-greets, 3-point competitions and youth clinics, fans visiting Rockefeller Center in Manhattan can take in commemorative, one-of-a-kind basketball-themed “rocks,” created to embody the identity of their team’s community and culture, through Oct. 21.
After the season tips off, the “rocks” will return to their home cities, providing a spark of inspiration for fans and artists alike.
For Arutyun Gozukuchikyan, also known as ArToon, the project provided the chance to show love for his Los Angeles Lakers and adopted home city.
Gozukuchikyan created a ball resplendent with the vibrant colors and warmth of the City of Angels.
Here, he speaks on his career, fandom and inspiration for this special basketball ahead of Lakers-Warriors on Oct. 21 (10 ET), the second half of the opening night NBA doubleheader on NBC and Peacock.
Editor’s note: This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
NBA.com: Tell me about your background as an artist.
ArToon: I was five years old when I moved from Armenia to Hollywood. One of the three things I remember from Armenia is drawing horses – that was the earliest stage I can remember of me doing any form of art. I must have been four years old.
Beyond that, I’ve always been an artist. It’s always come natural to me. I started off doing drawings, paintings on canvas, and what really led to murals – in 2008, I opened up an Italian restaurant in Gilbert, AZ. Since it was an Italian restaurant, I went Michaelangelo in there – painted a bunch of stuff that Michaelangelo made statues of. People would come, see it, they would love it – ‘I want this done on my house, I want this done on my business.’
It just grew from there. From then on, I noticed there was momentum. … My heart was in LA. So I moved back to LA, and this was in 2012.
NBA.com: What was going through your mind as you designed this basketball?
ArToon: I’m a huge Laker fan. A lot of the time, I was just in disbelief, like ‘I can’t believe the Lakers chose me.’
I love the team. Kobe [Bryant] was always a huge inspiration – I’m always mimicking his words, and I live by that whole mentality of never giving up, his Mamba Mentality. I was super-honored.
I really wanted to do something that really resembles LA to the fullest, from the Hollywood hills to the Venice basketball courts. The ‘17’ on it is the 17 championships. Our arena, which will always be Staples Center for me (laughs). The LA skyline, palm trees, sunset, coastline – I wanted to fit everything that represents LA in one image, and I wanted to use vibrant colors. I didn’t want to use dull colors – I wanted it to be very appealing to the eye.
I’m very proud to be from LA. Always traveling around, left and right, every state, and I always say there’s no place like LA. I guess the city is my motivation.
NBA.com: What are your hopes for the Lakers season?
ArToon: I know Luka [Dončić] will probably bring a chip to LA!
NBA.com: How do you feel about being part of this 30 Rocks project?
ArToon: Awesome! I am so beyond happy and blessed that they chose me. There are so many talented and great artists in LA – I’m even inspired by a lot of them.
For me to get chosen, it’s like ‘little old me!” It’s not every day you get chosen for something like this.
