With the Olympic Games, the Eiffel Tower, and a region rich with historical significance as its backdrop, the Jordan Brand took root in Paris, France. There the global brand provided a safe space for some of the top basketball talent in the world to land, level up, and have the chance to be crowned the best one-on-one player in the world at The One Finals.
Between droves of Black women donning box braids, the barbershop station in the lobby, and dozens of sneakerheads wearing their cleanest pair of retro Jordans, the connections between what happens fashion-wise on and off the basketball court became evident.
Tucked away in the Le Trianon et L’Élysée Montmartre theater in the culturally saturated 18th arrondissement, community members, basketball fans, NBA players like Chris Paul and Zion Williamson and celebrities including Spike Lee crammed courtside on a new retrofit Jordan court to see who would emerge as the world’s top one-on-one player.
Jordan Brand President, Sarah Mensah, who made history in her own right by becoming the first-ever female president of the company, made the intentions of the tournament clear. Mensah shared that the bridge connecting the brand’s namesake to the next wave of basketball’s elite is part of what makes The One tournament so special.
“Michael Jordan’s original passion for basketball started with playing one-on-one, and I think that’s true for lots of players around the world. So, this is an homage to people who love the game so much that they find a way to participate, and it’s just amazing that we could bring it to the world stage,” Mensah said.
In fine basketball fashion, the stage for the one-on-one matchups was set perfectly.
Standing in one courtside corner, the DJ played bangers like Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, “Not Like Us,” back-to-back the entire night. Emcees constantly gassed up competitors during each game and spectators stood on the sidelines ready and willing to run onto the court at the mere sight of someone getting crossed over.
With the brackets set on the male and female sides, 20 of the top amateur ballers in the world, all of whom had to win previous one-on-one tournaments to qualify for the final showdown in Paris, took to the court for bragging rights, the winner’s trophy and a yearlong partnership with Jordan Brand.
The rules were simple: win or go home.
With each round of competition and nothing to lose other than a few ounces of sweat, the youngest competitor on the female side, Tatianna Griffin, enraptured the crowd with her versatile skill set and a demeanor that came across as though she was wise and intrinsically acute.
With a perimeter game pushing opponents passed their defensive comfort zones coupled with persistent power under the basket, the 14-year-old phenom was unstoppable. During Griffin’s relentless run, the tournament emcee made it his mission to emphasize to the crowd, “She’s only 14!” With every bucket scored, Tatianna doubled down on his emphasis on her age being an irrelevant factor when it came to her lauded athletic prowess.
Griffin, a Los Angeles native made it clear that despite her youth, her focus is piercing, and greatness will be her portion. When asked about her outlook on the future, she confidently responded, “Moving forward with basketball, my goal is to break records in college and the WNBA, and just inspire the younger generation.”
It’s fair to say Griffin has ushered in a wave of inspiration that continues to permeate through prep sports. The 5’10” freshman small forward boasts a 4-star ranking, has racked in 11 All-Tournament honors from competitions around the country, and has received athletic offers from powerhouse schools like the University of Southern California and Virginia Tech University.
Capturing global eyes while channeling the competitive spirit of arguably the best player to ever pick up a basketball, Michael Jordan, Griffin’s future on the hardwood is blinding, and her maturity on and off the basketball court is refreshing.
As is customary in one-on-one basketball, when the game-winner defeats their competition, they ask one simple question to those waiting in line for their turn to dethrone them, “Who got next?” In this instance, it’s safe to say, Tatianna Griffin has got next. And by the looks of all she’s accomplished so far and what’s to come of her basketball journey, her place in hardwood history will be cemented firmly in place for years to come.
