The Netflix series “the Last Dance”, directed by Jason Hehir, shows the early formation of the Jordan brand as his parents dragged a reluctant teenage Michael onto the plane to go and visit Nike.⠀ 

The resultant collaboration, described by Nike Founder Phil Knight as “the perfect combination of quality product, marketing, and athlete endorsement”, set the blueprint for modern sports marketing – paving the way for the likes of Tiger Woods and David Beckham to sign endorsement deals in a way that had never been done before Michael Jordan.⠀ 

The Air Jordan Brand has gone on to change popular culture forever, all around the world. In the UK, admiration for the Jordan Brand is widely reflected in mainstream culture yet the actual sport of basketball, that the shoe stemms from, is not.   ⠀ 

To find out what can be done to capitalise on the UK's growing appetite for basketball, we spoke to Raphell Thomas-Edwards, who has represented Great Britain and England, as well as being an integral member of the Bristol Flyers, in the top-flight of British basketball.⠀ 

Raphell's performances for the GB age-group teams won him a scholarship to college in New York, where he played in NCAA Division One, competing at the same standard that Jordan would have done in his early days, an experience that he believes developed him into the player he is today. During the session, Raphell explains why the US college system is so effective at producing top level talent, and what he thinks the UK could learn from it, in order to tap into our own domestic talent pool.