Seventy-two teammates across North America. Six co-ed teams. Two nail-biting qualifiers. One championship title.
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The Sole City Showcase began as a grassroots basketball tournament created from the ground up by our Distribution Center (DC) teammates in Memphis. This year, it spanned the entire country, from Los Angeles to New York City, as employees from our corporate offices, stores and DCs teamed up to hoop in the single-elimination tournament. The final stop: the Ja-Boree Championship Game—a nod to Ja Morant—taking place in Memphis, where the L.A. MAMBAS emerged as the tourney champs.
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In the thick of the action were two of our own employee sportscasters, Octavia Wilson, B.Ed., M.S. and Paiea Kalili, from our Memphis Mid-South DC. After each game, they gave a full breakdown of the experience—recalling standout buckets, passes, and plays as Nike’s resident play-by-play experts for the company-wide recaps.
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“Imagine coming into work on a Thursday, and walking into a packed full-court gymnasium with food and concessions, and watching your teammates playing each other in front of hundreds of cheering fans,” says Octavia, who works as a senior analyst in DC capabilities. “That only happens at a place like this.”
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PK agrees. For him, watching teammates from across the country compete in front of a hyped crowd was incredible. “The energy felt like what you’d find at an NBA playoff game,” he says. Then, there was the role he played in emceeing the experience. “I work in Human Resources with our Logistics team, but Nike let me express my love of hoops and broadcasting by helping me be a sportscaster for a few weeks. If that doesn’t tell you that anything is possible here, I’m not sure what will.”
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The moment was an opportunity to show off hidden talents, says Octavia, and also highlight the pride she feels for her teammates to thousands of like-minded hoop-heads and lovers of the game.?“This brand understands how a simple basketball tournament can be one of the most powerful, impactful ways to bring people together. Not your typical work day, and not your typical workplace.”
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Come be a part of it. Check out our open roles:?https://jobs.nike.com
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