Ömer Yurtseven is a young Turkish basketball player who’s making waves in the world’s biggest league, the NBA, as a center for the Miami Heat. Nevertheless, where others could feel like they’ve done it all and achieved their goals, he wants to do even more.

And it’s precisely that word, “doing”, that connects us as storydoers. So, what’s a storydoer? It’s someone who doesn’t just talk but takes action. They roll up their sleeves against the reality they want to change and get to work on it.

Ömer came to us with the strength and conviction of a “gladiator.” His nickname is well earned. And as fellow doers, we set out to find an action that would kick-start a movement. And we found it.

Together, we discovered that tons of discarded fishing nets are dumped into the ocean every day. These nets pollute, endanger species, and harm the oceanic ecosystem. So, we asked ourselves a question: Can a fishing net be transformed into a basketball net? And we found that, yes, it can.

That’s how Swish for Change was born. As a platform that recovers unused fishing nets and transforms them into brand new basketball nets. This cause has it all, because it protects the ocean while promoting the sport.

The Ocean Connections is a community of storydoers made up of individuals, organizations, and businesses that take action for the planet, leading and achieving real changes. We’re proud that Swish for Change and Ömer Yurtseven are part of our community.

We invite you to watch the launch video and Ömer’s interview to learn more.