words // Brandon Richard
In April of 2009, the Jordan Brand returned to Madison Square Garden for the 8th Annual Jordan Brand Classic high school basketball showcase.
Before attending Georgia Tech and eventually being selected by the New Jersey Nets in the 2010 NBA Draft, forward Derrick Favors led the 'Black' team to victory, scoring a game-high 21 points en route to CO-MVP honors. Sharing the award was the 'White' squad's Renardo Sidney, who rolled off 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Though not MVPs, the game's two most recognizable names were DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall, who of course went on to become Elite 8 Teammates at the University of Kentucky. Wall dished out a game-high 6 assists, while Cousins had a solid 17 point, 7 rebound outing.
Other notable 2009 JBC names include John Henson, Avery Bradley and Royce White.
The official shoe for the game was the Air Jordan 2009, conjured up in all-black and all-white colorways for each team. Celebrating the XX8 Days of Flight, take a look back at Wall and Cousins going to work in the 2009, as well as a few close-up shots of PEs being worn by their teammates.
