How Jordan’s ‘The One’ Tournament Celebrates Global Baske…

After a training session at the Nike HQ, the worldwide spread of young talent gathers around Rod Raines, one of the specialist coaches, for a word of advice: “Be intentional. Everything we do on the court matters. Make sure that everything you do matters. Where you place the ball, your rip-through, and patience.” After a rousing speech, the talent put their hands together and chanted on 3—The One! A few days later, we traded the court of the Nike HQ for one primed for competition, doused in the Jordan Brand’s red and black colour theme.

Speakers are blessed by fitting DJ sets, mic checks on a star-studded commentary team, and seats steadily filled by fans, media and influencers from around the world. The scene was set for styles, culture and hooping communities to clash. In all, entertaining a crowd that packed the stunning Rooftop 17 venue, which has a backdrop of the affluent New York skyline. This is the setting for the finals and the second year of the Jordan Brand: The One.

The Tournament

The One is a tournament that mimics the one-on-one backyard games Michael Jordan played with his brother, Larry. These formative games were the genesis of Michael’s skill, his tenacity, meticulous nature and mastery of the court. The One seeks two victors from these face-offs between boys and girls to gain a year-long brand sponsorship. In its second year, the brand gathered talent from over 17 cities to compete in regional tournaments, improving from last year’s 10. Talent from Tokyo, Taipei, Manila, Ljubljana, London, Sydney, Paris and many other cities met at regional knockouts, sending the triumphant 22 boys and girls to the Big Apple. Thus, the stage was set for the finals to unfold.

The finals were a terrific spectacle, pitting the different cultural styles of play against each other. It was live-streamed worldwide on Jordan’s YouTube channel, presented by Maria Clifton and Monica McNutt, showcasing the event. Lola Brooke, Sheck Wes, Don Toliver and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie performed, with San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Lil Tecca, Bloody Osiris and Spike Lee sitting front row. Content creators from around the world gathered to capture the event’s journey, too, including the UK’s very own Deze Reels and SBB.

The players were lauded by the teams that accompanied them to New York—encouraged by a crowd who also made time to jestfully jive as if this was a game played on the streets. In the Semis was London’s Kervy Mabaya—a talented hooper and powerhouse, who reached this stage on his second attempt at The One. Last year, Kervy fell short, unable to progress past London’s regional tournament. Nevertheless, this year, in July, the Barking Abbey small forward powered through opposition to be victorious at the regional hosted in White City’s Exhibition. “It’s actually a blessing to be here,” said Kervy.

Enfield native Kervy was proud of his evolution as a player. It’s not everyday an 18-year-old is flown out to New York City to showcase their basketballing prowess, let alone a Londoner who picked up the sport during lockdown, and this tournament proved to show where his talents can take him. After seeing a team training in his local park on a walk with his father, Kervy declared interest and was encouraged to try out for the team. Several years later, he frequents courts in London, is a regular for Barking Abbey’s Junior NBL side, and helped his side win their 6th championship.

On the ball, Kervy’s style is robust, bullying opponents to the rim before dunking or shooting over them. He was hyper-focused, celebratory in victory, but silent as an assassin on the court. In contrast, the eventual winner, Terron Williams from LA, was much more emotive and talkative. In their semi-final match, you could see the calm, reserved demeanour of the Londoner in comparison to the angered and challenging look of the Angeleno. This is somewhat of a marker of the different styles of basketball culture clashing together.

While not the strongest, as a tenacious, feisty and skilful player who knew his way around the court, Terron fought his way to victory by outsmarting and outplaying his opponents, ultimately winning the competition and sponsorship. New York’s Rose Simpson won the girls’ side of the tournament, charged by her home turf. Cheered by friends, locals, and with words of encouragement from an Arsenal top-wearing Spike Lee, Rose fended off strong opposition from Shanghai, Tokyo and Australia. On the day, the Americans had their way. But how did we get here, and what of the future of the Jordan Brand’s work in other cities?

Basketball is a driving force of culture and the subcultures it infuses. It is a sport that was raised in a gym by a teacher, but a game that was perfected on the streets. Asphalt community courts, backyard games, in-house rims, and a ‘Kobe’ shout when shooting something into a bin. The game serves as a conduit and passageway for culture, fostering unique relationships with media, music, fashion, film and language. Hence, in any given streetwear culture, we often see the style inspired by decades of the culture—its biggest marker being the prestigious Air Jordan.

“If we think about street basketball, or any sport, it has always been played on the streets by those who may not have the money,” states David Schetcher, VP/GM of Jordan North America. In recognition of how The One did last year, the brand focused on making it bigger, better and more inclusive of the international spread of talent, with other activations geared toward upholding the rich and varied basketball cultures around the world.

“What we’ve done is taken a street culture, and honoured it by trying to pay homage and celebrate it in events like this,” added David, when asked about the evolution of the tournament and how the Jordan Brand operates in these spaces. In London, the brand constantly keeps the city in its plans for launches and bespoke events, constantly recognising the forces upholding the culture. During The One’s regional knockouts hosted at Exhibition, the brand called upon Victory Lap to host the afterparty, creative sneakerheads like The Stockroom, and had Kairo Keyz perform. A few weeks ago, FD From The Future hosted a launch of the Jordan Brands Coldest In The Game with snowboarder Zeb Powell, in which an iced truck delivered slushies, drops, and in a very London-styled guerilla marketing gathering.

On the weekend, the brand launched Jaston Tatum of the Boston Celtic’s ‘Tatum 4’—his latest signature shoe. The Tatum 4’s propel off the 3’s notion of welcoming wearers to his hometown, St Louis, and now he welcomes the world. The drop releases 4 unique colourways representing the basketballing cities of St Louis, Tokyo, Shanghai and London. While Tatum’s ‘Welcome to St Louis’ colourway is inspired by icons like Nelly, the St Lunatics, and home baseball team the St Louis Cardinals, the other colourways’ inspirations mirror the cultures that uphold them. For London, the colourway draws inspiration from the London undergrounds Bakerloo and Victoria lines, the city’s underground scene, and the gritty nature of the street culture within it. Alongside this drop, the Jordan Brand presented the Tatum Training Experience.

This immersive pop-up gathered over 30 content creators and 90 hoopers to train under the tutelage of Tatum’s lifetime coach, Drew Hanlen—one of the leading basketball coaches in the world—and Ryan Richards, a former NBA player hailing from London. The aim of the coaching is to teach some of Tatum’s signature moves and plays to these young talented hoopers aged 15 to 21. Elite skills sessions, Q&As, and essentially a cultural exchange is evident within such an activation—tailored to London’s needs. This is the impetus behind the Jordan Brand’s work around the world, ensuring each space receives what it needs to thrive while recognising the cultural paradigms in place.