Basketball is more than a game—it’s one of the most powerful bridges between students, mentors, and the business community. In Tulsa, the game carries cultural capital across neighborhoods, classrooms, and even boardrooms. Employers love it. Youth trust it. And that trust creates the common ground needed to prepare students for meaningful careers.
The data proves its power:
Most people know Nicole Hopkins as a business development leader and corporate professional. But in North Tulsa, she’s spent more than a decade simply known as “Miss Nicole” at The Zone Academy.
Her first years there weren’t easy—she wasn’t from the community and had to find a way to connect. The breakthrough came through basketball. While she never considered herself an athlete, Nicole discovered a single game of knockout could break down barriers faster than words ever could. So she practiced—free throws, three-pointers, hours in the gym—until she could hold her own with all the kids in the program.
Ten-plus years later, Nicole is still in the gym shooting with students. But now her focus extends beyond the court: building bridges between her corporate experience and nonprofit work. She can talk private wealth, alternative investments, and consulting with ease, but what drives her most is showing kids “what could be.” Because kids can’t be what they can’t see.
That’s why she founded Hoops and Partners: to use basketball as the starting point and opportunity as the finish line.
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