Blacktop Tales | Season 3 | Episode 1 | Giovanni Ascuntar | The Hoopbus @ MSG
“What’s good bro, we’re at MSG 6–7:30 on 33rd St.”
That was the first message that seeped through as my phone picked up a signal on the JFK tarmac. It was Giovanni Ascuntar. We’d met in Brooklyn a year earlier after I’d stopped for breakfast at Black Star Vinyl. Although, at the time, my first intro to Giovanni— I’d been familiar with his team, the Hoopbus, long before.
The bus’s journey began with Nico Ansom in LA back in 2019 and grew into a fleet of four, using basketball as a vehicle to build community, inspire play, and break down social barriers while teaching life lessons through the game. In short: they pull up on a block near you with a hoop on the facade, make your day better and impact lives in the process.
Connecting with Giovanni at the bus, with Hoopbus collaborating with the Knicks during their historic playoff run, was a no-brainer. A quick bag drop off and back out to take the A Train. It was the night of game 6. Knicks/Celtics. With tip-off looming, the atmosphere outside The World's Most Famous Arena was electric. I followed my nose out of the subway, under the unmistakable gaze of The Empire State Building – and then followed my ears – bucket drummers, the bounce of rubber, the chatter of an MC and the excitement of the crowd led me directly to the spot. Effectively coming straight from the airport meant that I'd been awake for almost 24 hours at this point – but the energy of the bus and the atmosphere it delivered kept me wired.
It was this energy that drew Giovanni to the Hoopbus movement in 2023—a blend of culture and community that has run through his story from the start.
He grew up in Miami, but Colombia was home for both parents—specifically Cali, La Capital Mundial de la Salsa—a city whose rhythm moved the world. Regular trips to Colombia, parties at the family home, and the fact that his parents owned a couple of nightclubs meant Giovanni grew up surrounded by music and people.
This marriage of music and community ran through his Miami upbringing, with his brother immersed in Hip Hop and breakdancing culture—a passion that often shared space with basketball on the city’s outdoor pavilions. These courts became a hotbed for creativity and sparked Giovanni’s early interest in video and photography. But it wasn’t until he copped an AND1 Mixtape from the legendary MIA Skate Shop that hoops truly captured his imagination.
"When I saw actual flare in basketball, combined with the music – I was like, ok, this is real basketball – or at least the genre of basketball that I wanna be a part of"
It’s been said that a tree’s strength lies in its roots. For Giovanni, those roots run deep in New York City—the place where his parents first met, and where he’s called home since college. Though his career path led him into marketing and strategy, the city’s hoops culture pulled him into a side-quest of his own: He Got Next—an online platform spotlighting the game’s most compelling characters—a quiet force in basketball storytelling since 2016.
It was while editing content for He Got Next that he saw The Hoopbus drive past his Bed Stuy window and chase it down to meet its founder, Nico. It became immediately evident that he and Nico shared the same energy and enthusiasm to create, build community and play basketball. "Energy attracts energy and that bus does exactly that." Giovanni spent the rest of that day riding around, picking up people along the way. By the end, he’d made a bold decision to jump aboard for good—becoming Head of Content, joining the movement. "It's okay to change your mind, to make another U-turn." He quit his day job and didn’t look back.
Whether hyping the Knicks crowd outside MSG or handing out flowers to moms across the five boroughs on Mother’s Day, the voyage so far has left an undeniable mark on Giovanni—fueling his drive to inspire others:
“If you have a real dream, don’t let anything hold you back. If someone thinks it won’t work—that’s exactly the idea you need to chase. Our job isn’t to prove others wrong; it’s to prove ourselves right. Our duty is to show others that they can dream too.”
Community has always been at the heart of Giovanni’s journey. From LA to New York, Paris to the Philippines—wherever the Hoopbus travels, the game follows. So keep your eyes on the road. You never know when Giovanni and his basketball family might pull up, turning another street into a court, and strangers into teammates.
At The Hoopbus @ MSG, Gio is rocking the classic Air Force 1 in white. "They're clean and classic", he explains, "you can wear them with sweats or a suit". They're available at your local BounceWear store and online at bouncewear.com.
