Under a scorching hot Parisian sun, Quai 54—the world’s biggest streetball tournament—returned to the centre of Paris last weekend for its biggest event yet. Against the stunning skyline of the Eiffel Tower, the event entertained a huge crowd of 8,000 fans across the weekend. More than just a streetball tournament, Quai 54 is known for bringing the worlds of basketball, streetwear, music and culture together, with performers and attendees from around the globe.
Playing host to the world’s best street teams, the women’s tournament saw I Can Play triumph over La Diarra Académie in the final, while the men’s tournament saw last year’s champions, Le Cartel, going down to long-time rivals La Fusion. Other on-court action included the three-point and half-court shot competitions, and the jewel in the crown: the dunk competition, claimed by a 5’6” Tyler Currie for a dunk that saw him jump clean over NBA star Luka Dončić.
A big part of what makes Quai 54 such an unmissable event is high-quality musical line-ups with international artists. This year, on the French side, we got high-energy performances from five-strong collective N’Seven7, Amiens rhymer Naza, rising star Chily, Leto of rap duo PSO Thug, multi-lingual rhymer Franglish and footie player-turned-artist Guy2bezbar. Representing for West Africa, Congolese singer/songwriter Fally Ipupa showed up and showed out, alongside Nigerian dancehall star 1da Banton and Afrobeats queen Yemi Alade.
The influence of the West African diaspora on France and the rest of world was a theme of this year’s event, one also brought to life in the dedicated Quai 54 x Jordan collection that dropped to mark the event, created using traditional, authentic West African techniques and designs.
Some major NBA stars also made their presence felt at the event. New Orleans Pelicans’ All-Star record-breaker, Zion Williamson, and Dallas Mavericks’ Slovenian legend, Luka Dončić, showed up to judge the competitions and also take part in a conversation for a #SNKRSLIVE Session while in town. French B-baller and Minnesota Timberwolves’ new signee, Rudy Gobert, also dropped by to show love and support.
Also on the ground were London creative Simran Randhawa and Jordan brand ambassador DJ Cheetah. Check out their video diaries from the event below, as well as one from French ‘baller Kevin Franceschi, followed by a series of shots from the tournament plus a clip of Tyler Currie’s legendary winning dunk.
For more information on Quai 54, click here, and to cop the Jordan x Quai 54 collection, click here.
