Here's how a Brooklyn sneaker store built a half basketball court in-store, using Whop to manage online court bookings and payments.
New York City is famous for its basketball culture - iconic courts, legendary streetball, and competitive pickup games in every borough. With more than 540 outdoor basketball courts across the city, there’s no shortage of places to play.
But winter in NYC can be merciless. This week, with temperatures stuck in the mid-30s °F and wind chills biting sharper still, even the city’s most devoted hoopers find themselves indoors, where gym space is scarce and crowded.
Against this winter backdrop, Brooklyn has a new destination: a sneaker and lifestyle store with a half-court built into its retail space. This half-court is not just a pretty feature. It's a bookable, playable, community-driven asset.
Welcome to Stealth NY.
Stealth NY: where community meets culture
Stealth NY is not your typical streetwear store. Young entrepreneur and owner Armani began the brand by selling shirts from the trunk of his car. Now, he runs Stealth from a 5,000 sq ft location in Brooklyn.
Speaking to Media company 'Drop The Heat' about his goal for Stealth, Armani said: "I want to put fly clothes out at affordable prices, and do right by my community".
Every inch - from the sneaker displays to the printing hub to the half court - was designed with intention, creating a space where community, play, and creativity coexist.
The Jose Alvarado x Stealth NY half court
At the heart of Stealth NY lies a space that is both symbolic and functional: the Jose Alvarado x Stealth NY court. This space is a living testament to friendship, shared history, and, of course, basketball.
Armani has been close with Jose Alvarado since high school. Jose went on to play in the NBA for New Orleans and now plays for the New York Knicks.
Speaking on their friendships, Armani says: "Jose and I have known each other since we were kids. We grew up playing on the same baseball teams, football teams, and spending countless hours competing around the neighborhood. Those early years built a real bond between us."
And they never lost touch:
"Jose was blessed to make it to the NBA, and I was fortunate to build a thriving business. Even as our paths took different directions, we always knew we wanted to collaborate on something meaningful. We were just waiting for the right opportunity and the right idea.
That idea became a space where we could combine our strengths, basketball and clothing. When 59 Noble Street became available, it felt like everything aligned. Being just about 15 minutes from where we grew up, it truly felt full circle. It was a blessing to open something of our own so close to home."
This is a space that celebrates play, connection, and creativity, where locals can test their skills, bond over the game, and share in the same environment that shaped a future NBA player.
While the court brings people together physically, Whop powers the experience behind the scenes, making it easy for locals to reserve and pay for their time, and engage with the space on their own terms.
Half court, full control: Stealth NY’s court booking app
Stealth NY needed a system that could turn court time into a smooth, self-managed experience - something fast for users and simple for staff.
Having built their brand from the ground up, Stealth didn’t want to hand over the booking experience to a third-party tool that would dilute their identity or impose limits. Instead, they partnered with Whop’s Tiana Porta to build a custom solution tailored to their brand and workflow.
The goal was to give Stealth full ownership of their booking experience without rebuilding what Whop already does best. Their brand up front, our infrastructure in the back.
It didn't need to be complicated and just something that was clean, functional, and fully representative of their business.
- Tiana Porta
Using Whop’s API, the app went live in just a week on a site that Stealth fully manages.
Behind the scenes, Whop handles all the heavy lifting - checkout sessions, payments, webhooks, confirmations, and support - while users experience a streamlined, branded interface.
Players click ‘book your court,’ select a time, and receive instant confirmation. Behind the scenes, availability updates automatically, ensuring no double bookings.
Players can also track their activity with the Court Dashboard, which shows upcoming bookings, total hooping hours, and streaks - with rewards coming soon.
In just two weeks, the system recorded 6,000 bookings.
How Whop powers platforms and experiences
Stealth NY’s court booking app shows what’s possible when a platform works behind the scenes, giving businesses complete control while keeping the experience fully branded. Customers never see Whop, they just interact with Stealth’s own site, but every transaction, reservation, and confirmation is powered by Whop’s infrastructure.
The system acts as a flexible backbone, enabling businesses to manage bookings, payments, and customer interactions without surrendering their brand identity.
"This project is about more than business. It is about impact. We want this space to represent opportunity, inspiration, and community, not just for us, but for the neighborhood and for New York City as a whole. Giving back and creating something that makes a real difference is what this is really about."
- Armani, Stealth NY owner
Whop handles high volumes of bookings and real-time updates, ensuring operational complexity never interrupts the customer experience. Creators and businesses focus on their vision, while the backend handles the logistics - making it easy to scale, iterate, and own the entire journey.
Ready to build the next big thing?
Stealth NY shows how Whop can turn an idea into a fully functional, scalable experience. And they’re far from alone - Whop powers thousands of creators and platforms, from ticketing with SeatStock, to payouts with SideShift, to property management with Ohana.
These businesses are building their own products, communities, and revenue streams - all supported by Whop’s flexible infrastructure.
Whether you're selling court time, courses, memberships, software, or events, Whop is the full solution for launching, scaling, and monetizing experiences on your own terms. Whatever your idea looks like, you can build it your way with Whop.
