WYOMING, Mich. — The motto— DO IT BIG— seemed to be on every red jersey and sweatshirt in the Kelloggsville High School gym.
"DO IT BIG is passion," said Nikki Thompkins, founder and CEO of Big Nik Basketball, a basketball brand dedicated to community involvement and activism.
"If you're passionate about cooking or sports or art or anything, that's your DO IT BIG," she said.
In all capital letters, the three words come from Thompkins' professional playing days for the Detroit Shock (WNBA), Grand Rapids Blizzard (NWBL) and other international teams.
"I'm undersized," Thompkins said. "Every time I scored, I would say, 'Get big,' as a way to pep talk myself. That kind of stuck."
The game of basketball saved Thompkins' life, she says. Raised in the "inner city" of Southeast Grand Rapids, the Baxter Community Center became an escape from the "chaos of that community."
"You're surrounded by crime, drugs, gangs," Thompkins said.
What Baxter provided Thompkins— a second home and a safe environment— the former WNBA player is now offering others through Big Nik Basketball.
Founded in 2020, the brand represents four AAU teams and hosts basketball camps and skills training sessions. Keeping a community focus, BNB also puts together annual coat drives, holiday food baskets, and personal hygiene bags for the homeless.
"It's just an extension of me as a person," Thompkins said about Big Nik Basketball. "Doing it with passion, doing it with each other."
"She's fun, she's funny," said LJ Chandler, a point guard on BNB's 7th grade boys team. "It's just really fun to play with her."
"It's like a brotherhood," said Ja'Kari Lovelady, who plays on BNB's 8th grade team. "All of us are cool with each other."
Whether on the court or in the community, Thompkins' players say they've learned a lot.
"Taught me to be more respectful and take accountability for my mistakes and stuff," said Chandler, whose layups led his team to a win against the Sailors on Saturday.
"I can be a mother figure, I can be a coach figure," Thompkins said. "There's versatility with that."