The highest ranked 3x3 basketball player in Spain, Carlos Martínez is well known for his versatility on the court. When he isn’t blazing a trail on the FIBA 3x3 World Tour, the 6’7” playmaker is making waves away from basketball, too – helping to turn used fishing nets which blight the world’s oceans into netting used in an array of European sports leagues, including across professional basketball and LaLiga football, among others top-level competition.
His investment into cleaning the oceans began in 2020 when Carlos set up Ecoballution in his home city of A Coruña (Galicia) in Spain’s north-west. “I live in a city right next to the sea and I recognize the problems with the pollution in the ocean,” Carlos told FIBA 3x3, marking World Environment Day (June 5). “Initially, I came up with the idea of making handmade basketball nets by upcycling used fishing nets. Nowadays we are recycling between six to eight tonnes of marine debris every year.”
Among other business investments in the health and fitness industry, Ecoballution forms part of Carlos’ vision for changing the planet for good through the power of sport. The re-purposed fishing nets are stronger than traditional basketball hoops, he explains, and have been adopted outside basketball too. As well as Spanish football top-flight, aquatic sports such as water polo also adopt the innovative product. His vision, Carlos says, is “to make the world a better place through sports”, highlighting his unique position as a professional basketball player to advocate positive change. He adds: “Sport is a way of life and can be a way of changing lives, too.”
Carlos, 29, came up with the idea for Ecoballution during a transitional period in his basketball career. Having played professional basketball since the age of 14, when Covid forced the industry’s global shutdown, Carlos says he was even considering retiring from basketball to focus on his business ventures. At the age of 24, he turned to 3x3 basketball instead, a decision which presented him with a change of direction, as well as the motivation and energy to grow the values of the Ecoballution brand alongside his basketball career.
“Sport is a way of life and can be a way of changing lives, too.”
Carlos Martínez, Ecoballution
“Like a lot of people, I recognized the problem of the plastic in the sea,” Carlos continues. “Nobody wants to see plastic bottles and old fisherman nets in the water. At the time, I knew about some netters who were working in this space already and we explored options for this project. In the first year, we worked out how to create the product and, five years on, now sell nets in shops throughout Spain and via many distributors.
“I invest everything in this project to create social good within our community, and for the planet, while my main goal is to make a better world through our initiative. At the time, I saw that FIBA 3x3 was growing and, with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics hosting the 3x3 basketball for the first time, I thought it was the best moment for me to enter this sport.
“Although I was, at one point, thinking about retiring from basketball and exploring other interests in entrepreneurship and business investment, now I am in my fourth year with the Lausanne 3x3 team and I’m continuing to enjoy both my sport and my passion projects. Sport is a really good tool to transmit good things, let’s say. It plays an important role in helping to change things that maybe are not fair or can teach younger generations to adopt.”
Thus far, Ecoballution serves sports teams and leagues throughout Spain, Italy, France and Portugal. While there are lots of opportunities for Ecoballution to expand its customer base, and support other sports, Carlos says he would “love to bring the product to more clubs and league around the world” and to use his platform as a professional athlete to accelerate FIBA 3x3’s sustainability drive.
“Sometimes people think it’s an athlete’s obligation to show these types of values,” Carlos says. “While I don’t necessarily think it’s an obligation, morally we have a good platform to share these social initiatives, including those environmental projects like Ecoballution.
“For me, it follows my vision to make the world a better place through sports. I follow the same mission as a player – to give the best on the court. This keeps my energy high. The work we are doing and the revenue we are investing back into the project I have to say is super satisfying. This is not only a trend but in many ways is a necessity also. For me, our goal is to spread our vision with as many people as possible. It’s not only a basketball net, but in doing what we do, we are bringing about positive change to our relationship with the sea.”