Jordan Brand's premier streetball 1-on-1 platform—aptly named "The One"—returned for Summer 2026.
Now in its third edition, the basketball tournament celebrates the competitive nature of sport while demonstrating basketball as culture and a catalyst for community. The past two events left their marks across cities like Paris and New York, and the latest installment of "The One" promised to be louder, more electrifying, and larger. After stopping at over 23 cities across the globe, the competition did not disappoint.
This year's tournament kicked off in Madrid. Each showcase was accompanied by programming like skills workshops and live performances—put together by Jordan Brand and local figures. Past appearances included that of Luka Dončić and Don Toliver.
The summer-long journey saw the world’s most-fearless 14–18-year-old competitors go head-to-head in the purest expression of the game—one with which Michael Jordan himself was far too familiar thanks to his older brother, Larry—all to prove they are "The One."
The Global Finals for the 2026 edition of "The One" takes place in Shanghai on Saturday, Aug. 29. Twenty of the world's top teenage 1-on-1 hoopers (10 boys, 10 girls) will take the court in China to determine who is the best. Winners from both brackets will join Rose Simpson, Terron Williams, Tatianna Griffin, and Steve Bah as champions of "The One," and join the Jordan Brand Family as ambassadors.
The way every 1-on-1 matchup works is as follows:
- Games to 23 or highest score after 8 minutes (whichever comes first).
- Points are counted by 2s & 3s.
- 9-second shot clock, starting when ball is cleared or offensive player touches it after check ball.
- Running clock except in the final minute.
Top 10 Boys Finalists
Out of dozens of competitors, only 10 young hoopers have made it to the final round of the Boys bracket. The 10 that will battle it out in Shanghai to become "The One" are:
- Jalen Mehu, New York City
- Michael Woods, Chicago
- Kuon Sato, Tokyo
- Carter Brown, Los Angeles
- Andwele Cabañero, Manila
- Milan Pejin, Belgrade
- Gal Kranjčič, Ljubljana
- Juntong Gong, Beijing
- He Zhuo, Hangzhou
- Yuhang Wu, Hangzhou
Every teenage athlete beat the competition in his respective city, earning the chance to be crowned one of the game's best 1-on-1 players.
Top 10 Girls Finalists
The Girls bracket for Jordan Brand's "The One" tournament has showcased a bright future for women's basketball. The inaugural event was one by Tati Griffin, a top high school prospect who recently helped design a capsule with Playa Society. This year's ballers have been no different, demonstrating just how global the game has gone in the last few years.
The final 10 girls heading to China next week are:
- Leah Dukes, New York City
- Syndey Dodd, Chicago
- Rio Ota, Tokyo
- Addison Uphoff, Los Angeles
- KJ Badajos, Manila
- Aina Hinojosa, Madrid
- Racky Camara, Paris
- Chaoran Li, Beijing
- Xiaotian Chi, Beijing
- Yuhui Huang, Guangzhou
The varied roster of young hoopers represent North America, Europe, and Asia. Regardless of who gets crowned on Aug. 29 in Shanghai, each competitor has surely already left an impression on her respective city's basketball community.
Read: "Jordan Brand Reveals the Eight Jordan Design Studio City Winners"
Jordan Brand's takeover of Shanghai for "The One" Global Finals coincides with the Jordan Design Studio, an initiative that invited emerging creatives from around the world to reimagine the iconic Air Jordan 1 through themes of identity, local culture, innovation, heritage, and more.
Eight participants developed one-of-one prototypes with the help of a Creative Mentor. These imaginative takes on MJ's first signature shoe will be put on display in Shanghai, where one will be crowned the winning pair. No word has been confirmed about the winner going into production, but that could change soon.
As anticipation builds for "The One" Global Finals, the Jordan Brand YouTube Channel has created a playlist titled "Road to The One Finals." Over the next week, Team Jumpman is expected to upload short films that share the personal stories of some of the tournament's finalists. The series has kicked off with Serbia's Milan Pejin.
While you wait for Aug. 29, visit Nike.com/Jordan to shop all things related to "His Airness"—including the $140 Jordan Triangle worn by many participants in "The One."
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