Oakland’s very own Juan Toscano Anderson caught the worlds attention in 2021 as he transitioned from 2-Way player into a solid NBA rotation player on the Warriors. JTA’s hoops journey took him from East Oakland to Marquette University, then to the LNBP (Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional) in Mexico, back to Cali where he made the Santa Cruz Warriors and then eventually was converted into a full time member of the Golden State Warriors.

JTA is an inspiration to me, as a kid from the Berkeley-Oakland area with a dream of making it to the biggest stage (in my case in the art world) and earning a spot amongst the top dogs.

It’s been important for me to see someone from where i’m from make it and find success through perseverance, hard work, love for the game and an unrelenting will.

To those confused, JTA has no connection to the Oakland A’s, he was invited to throw out the first pitch for an A’s game last year and a bunch of amazing shots were taken one of which inspired this painting. I loved that he has ‘Oakland’ across his chest and of course he was rocking the beautiful 95 chain.

Throwing the first pitch was a monumental symbol of JTA’s success in the sports world and the Oakland community.