Music and fashion are common themes here and I’ve profiled an eclectic mix from the legend who threw a Biggie concert in the penitentiary to a teen who photographed ASAP Rocky for Gucci. Today we visit the world of hoops with @RealGriffinTaylor, fresh off a winning summer at Rucker Park and a championship run in The Basketball Tournament on ESPN.
J.E.: There’s a lot of talk in the city about The Program. What’s going on?
G.T.: The Program is a startup I’m working on. It ties together my two passions - New York City and basketball. We are planning to build a basketball facility that will feature regulation courts, turf training, cryotherapy, weights, cardio, classrooms, locker rooms, a juice bar and retail.
G.T.: The goal of the project is to restore New York City as “the Mecca” for basketball at the youth and grassroots level. By supporting the talent of NYC in-house and providing rigorous instruction and resources, we are aiming to start getting back to higher levels than what has been achieved in NYC the past couple of decades.
J.E.: And you have big names involved.
G.T.: My co-founder on The Program, Jared Effron, is a lifelong childhood friend and former basketball rival of mine - our playing careers peaked in the tenth grade. The support he’s garnered for this project from his network has been unreal. I am really lucky to have Jared as a co-founder.
G.T.: Thanks to Jared, we have secured incredible investors on this project; individuals like Marc Lasry owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, Kenny Chenault from American Express, JJ Redick, Carmelo Anthony, Kenny ‘the Jet’ Smith and others who love what we are building and really see the need for it.
J.E.: How can people who read this interview get involved?
G.T.: Go to our website and contact me. If there is a kid in your family who you think should hoop with us, let me know. If you are a like-minded individual looking to invest or partner with us, just say the word.
J.E.: You were on TV the other night on ESPN leading your team in a basketball game for $1 million dollars. What was that like?
G.T.: It was surreal. We were playing for more than money, we were representing children with special needs; three of the players in our starting five are parents to children with autism. We won five games in a row to get to the final game. Sixty two teams went home. Then, in the million dollar final game, as you saw, in prime time on ESPN, in front of millions of viewers.. we got blown out by twenty points.
G.T.: From the moment we were eliminated last year, we waited for this year’s tournament to start. We won five tough games in a row, advanced to the championship game, and the game was over in the blink of an eye. I felt like I let everyone down. Our team, our coach, our families, our friends, our sponsors, our fans.. everybody.
G.T.: Having been in this tournament before, I didn’t go in with expectations. The competition is serious.. you have NBA players and the best players in the world all balling their hearts out for life-changing money. You wouldn’t believe the talent that gets eliminated in the first game. The thought of winning the money didn’t enter my mind.
G.T.: We went on a run and they were calling us “a team of destiny” on ESPN. Five minutes before the championship game started, Kevin Durant posted a story on his Instagram with one of our players. At that moment, I started imaging what life would be like if we won the money.
J.E.: You were named “GM of the Year” - an award that would go to the GM of the winning team. You’ll be back in that championship game.
G.T.: I am so grateful for the recognition and thankful to everyone, but being a GM in these things is bittersweet. When you are winning, there is little satisfaction.. You don’t have much to do with the wins. But when you are losing, you can’t help but feel responsible. You want to be on the court helping your team defend the basket. You want to be next to the coach drawing up plays.
G.T.: There’s no silver lining right now. We will be back next year and compete again, but it’s going to be a long year and a lot will happen during that time. The team that beat us will be back too and they will want to win another million dollars. This isn’t the Adam Sandler movie, “Hustle” on Netflix.
J.E.: It isn’t and it is.. you really do work with Kenny “The Jet” Smith, one of the big stars of that movie.
G.T.: I recently put on a skills camp in partnership with Kenny and the NBA Players Association in the Hamptons. Cole Anthony, one of the best players out of NYC, and Miles McBride from the Knicks were the coaches.
G.T.: Kenny grew up in LeFrak City, Queens and went on to be a key part of some of the greatest teams in NCAA history. He played for Dean Smith alongside Michael Jordan at UNC and won two NBA championships alongside Hakeem Olajuwon with the Houston Rockets.
G.T.: He informed the kids that since the NBA began in 1949, only 5,100 players have ever appeared in a regular season game. Many, many more than 5,100 people won the lottery since 1949. “I am telling you this not to discourage you,” Kenny said, “I am telling you this to let you know that the margin for error is slim, and every minute of your life, beginning right now, counts.”
G.T.: I also just had the honor of attending the Kenny Smith Basketball Camp in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I coached a team that consisted of some of the top 9th grade players in the country. Kenny and his son KJ have been such great partners to have.
J.E.: Is there anyone else that you want to shout out?
G.T.: I grew up with a single mom who was a blues musician - she is now in the Blues Hall of Fame. My mom is incredibly talented, she used to hang out at the Mudd Club with Warhol and Basquiat and to this day has an incredible network of creatives that seek her out for advice.