In the heart of Southwest Atlanta, A.R. Cooper former international basketball player and coach has rewritten the playbook on what community transformation looks like. As the founder of Art in the Paint, Cooper has taken a bold step into the intersection of sports, art, mental health, and community development. What started as one man’s frustration with neglected basketball courts has blossomed into a global movement: restoring, reimagining, and repurposing sports spaces as vibrant hubs of hope.
“We are essentially the Habitat for Humanity of sports spaces,” says Cooper, with the calm assurance of a man who has seen his vision go from scribbles in a notebook to murals across continents.
The Origin Story: From Broken Glass to a Bigger Picture
Long before partnering with Foot Locker, Adidas, or United Healthcare, Cooper found himself walking past the very same courts he once played on now cracked, littered, and forgotten.
“I saw broken glass, people smoking weed on the court… it didn’t sit right with me,” he recalls. “So I started doing what I could with what I had—just a couple thousand dollars and a few cans of paint.”
With no blueprint and limited resources, Cooper engaged local politicians and paint companies to help him revitalize his first few courts. The tipping point? A corporate executive flew over one of Cooper’s painted courts, spotted the masterpiece, and tracked him down. That serendipitous moment unlocked the floodgates to partnerships—and possibility.
“I was busting my butt on these courts myself,” Cooper laughs. “Then I realized companies would actually pay me to do this work. That changed everything.”
Why It Matters: More Than Just Paint
It’s not just aesthetics. The work Art in the Paint does is backed by research youth who engage in sports consistently show improved academic performance, mental health, and discipline. But what makes the organization revolutionary is how it uses these revitalized spaces to offer programming around violence reduction, nutrition, wellness, and community building.
“It became a community center without walls,” says Cooper. “That’s when I knew this was my life’s work.”
He adds, “After our first ribbon cutting, it wasn’t just about basketball anymore. Organizations started calling asking about programming. That’s when we began designing spaces to be more than beautiful—they became safe, transformative, and empowering.”
Painting with Purpose
The name Art in the Paint wasn’t born in a boardroom it came from the heart of hip-hop culture and the grind of grassroots work. “I wasn’t that good at this when I started,” Cooper admits. “We were only painting inside the key free throw line and below because we didn’t have enough paint. I was listening to Waka Flocka’s ‘Hard in the Paint,’ and thought, that’s it Art in the Paint. It stuck.”
What also stuck was Cooper’s unwavering commitment to service. “No matter my income or title, I’ve always been a servant leader,” he says. “I’ve always given. I’ve always led. That hasn’t changed since high school.”
The Power of Wellness and Mental Clarity
Doing this work isn’t easy and Cooper is transparent about what it takes to stay grounded. “You’ve got to give from your overflow,” he says. “And to have overflow, you have to take care of yourself.”
For Cooper, that means water, diet, gym time, chiropractor visits, and seeing a sports therapist every other week. “I never lost the mind of an athlete,” he shares. “I’m still competitive in this work, so I treat my mental health the same way I treated game day prepared, focused, and accountable.”
And when asked why therapy is so critical to his journey, Cooper is blunt: “When you’re looking out for 1,600 program kids, who looks out for you? Your friends and spouse can love you, but that can’t be their job. Therapy helps me stay grounded and honest.”
Museums, Mentors & Moving the Culture Forward
Now Cooper is embarking on one of his most meaningful projects to date a museum honoring civil rights legend Alfred “Tup” Holmes, the man whose legal battles integrated parks, pools, and golf courses in Atlanta and across the U.S.
“I grew up less than a mile away from a golf course named after him and didn’t even know who he was,” says Cooper. “Turns out, his father was Atlanta’s first Black doctor, and his son integrated the University of Georgia. Their story shaped my life without me even knowing it.”
The Alfred “Tup” Holmes Museum, which opened inFebruary, features a simulator room, historic trophies, and artifacts that educate kids on civil rights through the lens of sports and recreation. Cooper adds, “They can’t learn Black history in school so we’re going to give them a place where they can.”
Hall of Fame Honors: Cementing a Legacy On and Off the Court
In 2025, A.R. Cooper’s legacy on the hardwood was cemented as he was inducted into the Universal Basketball Association (UBA) Hall of Fame, a prestigious honor recognizing not only his standout professional career but also his enduring impact on the game. As a former leader of the GIE Maile Matrix, Cooper steered the franchise to multiple championships and international victories, earning a reputation for his high basketball IQ, relentless work ethic, and global professionalism. His leadership extended far beyond the court, embodying the very spirit of servant leadership that now defines his work with Art in the Paint. Cooper joins an elite class of inductees including Mike Sloan, Freddie Williams, DeAndre Bray, Erron Maxey, and UBA legend Will De La Cruz—forever etching his name among the league’s all-time greats.
Looking Ahead: Five-Year Forecast
In the next five years, Cooper sees Art in the Paint partnering with every major sporting event from the Super Bowl to the Final Four to bring lasting community engagement. “It’s not just about painting a court,” he says. “It’s about creating sustainable spaces for joy, health, and opportunity.”
His advice to young Black boys: “Know who you are. If you don’t know, find out. Because authenticity is everything you can’t fake it. That ‘fake it till you make it’ stuff? That don’t work for us.”
From the hardwood to the heart of the community, A.R. Cooper has proven that the game is bigger than sports and that every brushstroke on a court is a step toward justice, healing, and collective power.
Follow the movement
Website: artinthepaint.com
Instagram: @artinthepaintorg