CEBL Life

Niagara is a vibe, from the community to the front office! Returning to Niagara was an easy choice for Jaylen. Jaylen also takes us back to the beginning where he fell in love with the game. Off the floor, Jaylen is a barber, shoutout JBH Fresh! Jaylen walks us through balancing both his brand and basketball. Its Championship season, Niagara is focused on bringing it home! 

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Dhanung Bulsara - https://www.instagram.com/dhanung/

Tidal League - https://www.instagram.com/tidalleague/

Ashley Hamilton talks us through his first impressions of Montreal and Canada. How The Montréal Alliance has welcomed him as one of their own. Ashley shares the grind that comes with playing all year round in multiple countries.

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Dhanung Bulsara - https://www.instagram.com/dhanung/

Tidal League - https://www.instagram.com/tidalleague/

All the way from the endsss we welcome Co-owner of the Scarborough Shooting Stars. Starting with the people of Scarborough they hold on to the culture and language, from the shops to the road signs, Scarborough is culturally special. Pairing basketball and Scarborough was always a dream but bringing it together was a process and to see it through is a blessing. Shoutout to Mike Morreale for making the connection with Niko, it may of seemed odd but it was the perfect partnership. The CEBL provides real-life experience and proximity to achieving you dreams. Plus some J. Cole gems, a humble and incredible human being. 

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Dhanung Bulsara - https://www.instagram.com/dhanung/

Sam Ibrahim - https://www.instagram.com/samibrahim40/

Tidal League - https://www.instagram.com/tidalleague/

The league is on fire right now, what a start to the season. All the stars and celebrities have shown up in full effect. Today we welcome Dj Alize! He touches on how refreshing it is to be performing live again and the energy that was missed. From origin stories to the marriage between Hip Hop & Basketball, we touch on Championship weekend last year in Edmonton plus a special interaction between Alize and J. Cole. 

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Dhanung Bulsara - https://www.instagram.com/dhanung/

Dj Alize - https://www.instagram.com/djalizecanada/

Tidal League - https://www.instagram.com/tidalleague/

Origin stories for the Ottawa BlackJacks and the “Road to the Chip” - Ottawa is a community that loves basketball and is the perfect venue to host this year's CEBL Championship. 

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Dhanung Bulsara - https://www.instagram.com/dhanung/

Tidal League - https://www.instagram.com/tidalleague/

For milestone episode 20, Kat is joined by athlete portrait artist and humanitarian Carling Jackson. A commissioned artist by athletes themselves, Known as the “Athlete Artist” Carling is sought after by many big names. She and Kat speak to how sport, and now art, has saved her life and gotten her through some of the darkest times. Speaking to the athletes who inspire, Carling has focused much of her personal work on athletes who have broken barriers of colour and race in their respective sports.
Using a part of her profits, Carling is also a “Humanitarian Artist” partnering with agencies like the UN, Save the Children, Indigenous Women in Canada and the NAACP to name a few.
Tap in to hear the inspiring story of how sport has influenced and shaped not only her art, but entire life.

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Kat Stefankiewicz - https://www.instagram.com/matterofkat/

Carling Jackson - https://www.instagram.com/carlingjacksonart/

Artist, student, and a winner of the Toronto Raptors x OVO Creators Program, Ernesto Cabral- also known as A Broken Iris – is a true showcase of the connection between basketball and art.

In this episode, Kat and Ernesto sit down to peel-back the many layers of his art discussing, where his love for art and basketball began, the inspirations for his work, embracing imperfections and more. Plus, they discuss how immigrating to Canada has pushed Ernesto to create art that speaks to the immigrant experience. Allowing him to not only tell his story but inspire others along the way. 

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Kat Stefankiewicz - https://www.instagram.com/matterofkat/

Ernesto Cabral - https://www.instagram.com/abrokeniris/

Usually telling stories through his photographs, today we hear from him in depth. Making the most of the pandemic through teaching and connecting, he is now excited for new opportunities.

We learn about his inspiration for the arts and his original YouTube channel well before the age of today's influencers. Early days in the industry and how being opportunistic can lead to growth. Plus his favourite shoot to date and his aspirations moving forward.

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Kat Stefankiewicz - https://www.instagram.com/matterofkat/

Kishan Mistry - https://www.instagram.com/_kishanmistry/

To kick off 2022, Kat is joined by Stefan Ali on this episode of CEBL Life. Stefan is an entrepreneur, founder, and owner of Hourglass Barbershop in St. Catherine’s, Ontario. Born and raised in St. Catherine’s Stefan’s passion for art and culture has taken him all across Ontario.  

Stefan’s success in barbering sparked in Toronto, where he was connected with various CFL players who relied on him for their game-day cuts. From there, Hourglass has grown from just a barbershop into a brand, and they discuss Stefan’s goal to bring what he has learned about art and culture back to the growing city of St. Catherine’s.

  
They talk about the growing connection between barbering and basketball culture as unique hairstyles have become a popular way for athletes to display their personality while in uniform. They discuss Hourglass’s growing success as the go-to barbershop for the Niagara River Lions, and how the brand attempts to introduce new concepts into the traditional barber scene emphasizing their motto as “the value of time”.  

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Kat Stefankiewicz - https://www.instagram.com/matterofkat/

HOURGLASS - https://www.instagram.com/hourglassbarbers/

Ansh Sanyal, Director of Brand and Marketing for the CEBL joins Kat fresh off media day for the BCL Americas - the biggest and the best basketball league of the Americas. The CEBL gets to take part in it’s first season with the Edmonton Stingers, our CEBL Champions, representing the league and Canada’s representation there. Kat and Ansh talk about the behind the scenes for this exciting premier and what fans have to look forward to. 

Growing up in India, in an extremely musical family, Ansh got his start as a musician who found a love for communications, and had an extremely promising career in marketing as a young graduate now living in Toronto. Sport had always been in his life as well - giving him joy, relaxation and comfort, but it wasn’t until a hiatus from his 9-5 that he realized he could have both in his life. Tap in to hear this journey of discovery and inspiration.

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Kat Stefankiewicz - https://www.instagram.com/matterofkat/

Sport is a bridge to all other aspects of life. This is a statement that really sums up “The CEBL Life” a bridge or connection between the art and culture that the sport of basketball inspires, and it is certainly a statement that holds true to this weeks guest, John Lashway.

Executive Vice-President, Strategy & Communications for the CEBL and President of the Hamilton Honey Badgers, John is no stranger to Canadian basketball. He and Kat dive into his life and career from the example shown by his parents at a young age, to his role in the launch of the Toronto Raptors, and more recently the CEBL, to the many bridges into arts and culture that sport has allowed him to cross.

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Kat Stefankiewicz - https://www.instagram.com/matterofkat/

Hamud Mbarak aka “Pen Moodz”, lawyer, poet and wordsmith, joins Kat on this episode of the CEBL Life. Literally an artist who pens moods, Mbarak has used his knowledge of the law, and the might of his pen to fight for social justice and work to create a more just world.

From the beginning living in the Complex in Richmond Hill, sport became not just a unifier and connection to community, but and inspiration for his art, something that still holds true today. Through that medium inspiration also came from those whom he met in the streets and on the courts and were the catalysts for future projects and pieces.

They look back on the past couple of years and how the pandemic created a silence and a stillness that allowed the world to see the injustices that happen to people of colour on a daily basis. They talk about how art and in particular spoken word can create a link to unify us whether we are physically or philosophically apart.

CEBL - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Pen Moodz - https://www.instagram.com/pen.moodz/

Kat Stefankiewicz - https://www.instagram.com/matterofkat/

Kat is joined by Antwi Atuahene, Assistant General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations for the Niagara River Lions, a man who wears many different hats and has taken a passion and talent for basketball and turned it into many different opportunities.
Not only a career as a player, the love of the game opened up a many doors for Antwi. What culture means to him, how literature, physicality and philosophy have shaped him as a leader and have given him insights to the game that cannot be found on a court. What leadership means to him, how he defines it, and how it’s has transformed not only his life, but the lives of many.

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cebleague/

Award winning Canadian Film Maker, Kat Jayme joins our Kat to discuss her love for basketball and how it has inspired her journey as a filmmaker.

Using the backdrop of beautiful Vancouver from
its natural beauty to the beauty found in some of Jayme’s favourite basketball courts we learn the behind the scenes story of how much the love of the game has influenced her life.

As a Vancouver Grizzlies super fan, Kay’s film “Finding Big Country” goes in search of her favourite player, Grizzlies Big Man Bryant Reeves, and what happened after his short lived career in the NBA. We talk that project as well as her current project, “The Grizzlie Truth” which gets to the heart of the Vancouver Grizzlies and how quickly they came to be (and even more quick ended)
Kat speaks to the struggle she had as a young girl, being passionate about basketball and passionate about the arts, and the realization that you don’t have to choose between the two and that both and grow and blossom from each other.

Professional basketball is coming to Montreal. The CEBL announced last week that the Montreal Alliance is being added as its ninth franchise and will play in 2022. Annie hasn’t had a chance to slowdown since the announcement and we hear about the months of preparation that lead to this point. Montreal, a city that’s vibrant, cultured, and basketball is thriving. The Alliance will be a source of inspiration for the youth of Montreal.

From Niagara Falls to Miami to Toronto we learn about Amy's journey from humble beginnings to defying the odds with the first all-female Raptors broadcast.

How the CEBL has allowed professionals the chance to play in Canada and for her to see her country. The stories and the energy within the league and the amazing people that drive the CEBL forward.

Amy now takes a new step forward in her career working with Sportsnet to cover the Toronto Raptors as a courtside analyst and reporter.

Influenced by his mother Allan André gravitated to art early. Nicknamed “Captain Paint” and “The Black Picasso”, André feels that both apply, it all depends on the vibe. The ultimate creative from visual art to music and writing, André is always pushing the creative boundaries. Chasing perfection within the art is a struggle when you’re afraid of doing the wrong thing, André says “constraints provide more freedom to create”. Tap in and follow the creative process.

The energy in the 6 is back - From working with Fred VanVleet in the community to designing legendary artwork that is influenced by the culture of basketball, Casey is engrained in the culture of Toronto and works with numerous athletes. Whether it be the famous Kyle Lowry retro jersey with the championship trophy to custom sweats that best represent the city, we hear about his passion for art and how he has turned it into a career.

Personal struggles with addiction and mental health forced him to reset and follow what he loved - drawing basketball.

Joel Anthony from Montreal, Quebec a pioneer for Canadians in the NBA led the way for those who have come after, such as, Khem Birch, Chris Boucher, Lu Dort, and Karim Mane. After a 10 year career including two NBA Championships with the legendary Miami Heat "Heatles" he's now playing a role in developing and giving back to the game that gave him so much. Working with the Hamilton Honey Badgers to push the game forward as a Player Development Consultant.

Kat is joined today by the CEO & Commissioner of the Canadian Elite Basketball League Mike Morreale to discuss the close of the 2021 season with championship weekend in Edmonton and how electric the environment was. Early beginnings with the vision of the CEBL and how Richard Petko got him involved - allowing Mike to build this business freely with the ultimate trust. The forefront of Canadian Basketball and the people who are working towards the common goal of leveling up in unison. How the league determined team destinations, growth into Ottawa, Montreal, and now Scarborough. Building a legacy for Canadian Basketball and fostering the talent we have. The future of #OurGame is bright!