Kanye West aka YE , Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer hosted his first-ever basketball game in Chicago with his team Donda Doves on Saturday, February 5 at Credit Union 1 Arena on the west side of Chicago.

The Donda Doves made their debut in early 2022 when they were featured on the cover of SLAM magazine.Donda Academy is a prep school based in Los Angeles that offers K-12 learning. The team consists of some of the most elite prospects in the nation, including:

• Robert Dillingham of Hickory, North Carolina 
• Zion Cruz of Jersey City, New Jersey
• JJ Taylor of Chicago, Illinois
• Brandon White of Spencer, North Carolina
• Omarion Bodrick of Charlotte, North Carolina
• Seven Bahati of Hacienda Heights, California
• Bryce Baker of Mooresville, North Carolina
• Jalen Hooks of Indianapolis, Indiana
• Chuck Bailey of Detroit, Michigan 
• Braeden Moore of Nashville, Tennessee 
• Jahki Howard of Norcross, Georgia 

The game was a match-up between Chicago prep school and the Donda Doves. Tickets ranged anywhere from 50 dollars to 500 dollars depending on the seats, and spectators were asked to please wear all black in support of the team. 

I arrived at the venue around 7:00 p.m. so that I could get through the doors a little earlier to buy merchandise, and still have time to enjoy the game. There was a white sign written in sharpie posted on the door that read “Doors open at 8:30 p.m.”, so I returned to my car and waited until 8:20. When I returned to the area where the sign was posted, I saw there was a huge line to get into the venue – and it just kept growing! Everyone around me was wearing either Balenciaga clothing or Yeezy clothing since that’s what YE mostly wears.

Finally, 8:30 came, but the doors did not open. Actually, the doors did not open until almost 9:00 p.m., an issue that was compounded by the fact the cold temperature hovered at around 10 degrees. 

When the doors did open, the line moved relatively fast. YE’s basketball game was a “vaccination-required” event to ensure the safety of the people there: the attendees, workers, and players. After setting foot in the Credit Union 1 Arena, I rushed to the merchandise booth so I could buy a hoodie and maybe a t-shirt. There was already a group of maybe 20 people ahead of me, and I do not exaggerate when I say they were all buying 10-20 hoodies each! When I reached the front of the line, I was worried they would have my size anymore since the sizing was very limited. The prices – at $100 for a t-shirt, $150 for a long-sleeve shirt, and $200 for a hoodie – seemed extreme, but apparently, the upcharge was due to the fact the clothing is engineered by Balenciaga (whatever that means). 

I ended up purchasing just one hoodie, and with the item in hand, I went to sit down with my friend Damian to wait for the game to start. We watched the team warm up with an impressive routine: dunks after dunks, and they were making every shot.

The game ultimately started at around 10:00 when the national anthem began to play. It was then the crowd realized that Kanye was there and went wild. Fans screamed in excitement as YE walked out, alongside Chicago Bulls basketball player Lonzo Ball, Tampa Bay Buccaneers  football player Antonio Brown, and rappers Da Baby and Gherbo it was pretty cool seeing all these famous people there, I definitely felt star struck seeing all these people I like in one place.

The game was intense, with players from both schools showing off their skills to the entire stadium. The Doves were led by JJ Taylor, a Chicago native who recently transferred to Donda Academy last fall, who scored 23 points, with 5 rebounds and 3 assists, Chicago prep was led by Julio Montes with 25 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds, he led all scores. 

The game was a time when sports, fashion, and Chicago came together for a good time. After the intense match-up between Chicago Prep and Donda Doves, the Doves took home a win: 85-62. Fans screamed, danced, and even jumped over seats when the game concluded. Observers could see huge smiles on all of the faces of the Doves – and I was happy as well. Although I am from Chicago, I was rooting for the Los Angeles-based Doves since that is Kanye’s team (my favorite rapper and biggest inspiration, if you did not know). Seeing all the people come together and enjoy basketball brought a smile to my face. Kanye did end up leaving 10 minutes before the game wrapped up, which was a bummer, but it made sense since the crowd was controlled by the end of the game since he was no longer there.

I definitely enjoyed this game, and if the Donda Doves are ever back in Chicago… I will be there!