JumpShot Inc., a basketball-themed entertainment company, is putting its corporate headquarters in Dallas before opening the first location of the Topgolf-inspired concept in the city next year.
“For us, it made perfect sense to land in a community that was accepting of these types of eatertainment destinations,” CEO Derrick Mayes said of Dallas. “They’ve been very successful throughout the city and the entire D-FW metropolitan area.”
JumpShot has already found buy-in among some notable names in the game of basketball, Mayes said. NBA All-Star and Oak Cliff native Kenyon Martin and former Mavericks player Detlef Schrempf are among the early investors. Suns guard Grayson Allen and UConn standout Paige Bueckers are two players also backing the company.
JumpShot Live combines a full restaurant and bar with custom-designed basketball gaming bays. Each JumpShot Live location is designed to occupy 50,000 square feet to accommodate approximately 50 bays for up to 6 players each, according to a press release.A specific Dallas location for the first JumpShot Live hasn’t been finalized, Mayes said, but they expect to launch sometime in 2025. Another three locations are slated for 2026 as the company envisions national expansion, according to the release.
Each bay has a hoop that moves along a 40-by-10-foot lane, allowing guests to shoot from anywhere on the court without moving from the designated area, according to the release. The hoops can also vary in height for younger players, Mayes said. He explained that the hoops were designed by Akhil Chandan, an engineer and one of the co-founders of JumpShot.
Mayes highlighted the other offerings at JumpShot Live, saying guests would be able to eat, drink and watch a Mavericks or Cowboys game before getting to their gaming bay. According to the release, there will be a variety of games available for guests and each bay will be surrounded by LED screens and projectors, providing an immersive digital environment.
Mayes, a former NFL player who won a Super Bowl as a member of the 1996 Green Bay Packers, recently took over as CEO. An Indiana native, Mayes was an All-American wide receiver at Notre Dame who played five seasons in the NFL before transitioning into business.
“Being an executive is no different from being a wide receiver in the NFL or a wide receiver back at Notre Dame, you’re part of a team,” Mayes said.
Brian Birckbichler will join Mayes on the leadership team as president and chief operating officer. Birckbichler brings experience in the world of sports eatertainment concepts with previous roles at Topgolf, Drive Shack and Century Golf, according to his Linkedin.
