In a celebration of culture and entrepreneurship, the Dallas Mavericks partnered with Black-owned clothing brand 3nergy Forever for a one-of-a-kind apparel collaboration as part of the team’s African American Heritage Night.
Jordan Giddings, founder of 3nergy Forever, started his brand during the 2020 quarantine, inspired by his belief in the power of personal energy. The phrase “Protect Your Energy” became his mantra, and when Kyrie Irving donned one of his hats, it marked a pivotal moment for the brand.
But Giddings’ journey into fashion wasn’t without challenges.
After overcoming initial setbacks with a partner in the industry, he used that experience to fuel his journey toward new growth.
“It was 2020, the world was changing, I had just lost my job, and [3nergy Forever] was everything; it was all I had left,” said Giddings. “It took me a few months to really figure out what I wanted to do, and I think the adversity I faced while launching my brand gave me that extra motivation to put myself in a position to win.”
Years later, one of the most monumental steps forward in the journey was Giddings’ acceptance into the 2024-25 Mavs Business Assist (MBA) cohort.
In addition to the business resources and valuable relationships the program provides participants, it gave Giddings a unique platform to showcase his product and represent the MBA program at the team’s business of basketball meetings, putting Giddings in a room with his basketball idols.“Getting an opportunity to speak to the players meant everything to me…as I was explaining about the brand and what it’s grown into, I stopped, and I couldn’t help but notice Kyrie,” he said. “That was my first time seeing him in person, so when I saw him, I got emotional because I had never had a chance to ask him why he chose to wear my hat, so I stopped and had to let him know that I love him for what he’s done for my brand.”
Giddings’ latest breakthrough came when the Dallas Mavericks brand identity team approached him for a collaboration after noticing more Mavs players gravitating toward his styles.
Initially discovering the team’s email in his spam folder, Giddings soon found himself engaged in frequent conversations with the Mavs brand identity team to create the co-branded capsule collection.
As a lifelong basketball fan and former Division I player, this collaboration held deep personal meaning.
“This opportunity meant everything for me and my family— my family has been season ticket holders for over 20 years, and we’ve been Mavs fans our whole life, so to be the first African American Heritage collection collaboration meant everything. Shout out to the Mavericks and everyone behind the scenes that put it together for us,” he added.
The shared vision between the Mavs and 3nergy Forever led to the creation of a five-piece collection featuring the standout t-shirt design “Ride ‘Til Death Do Us Part,” symbolizing unwavering team loyalty.
When his designs officially hit the market for the one-day sale as part of African American Heritage Night, the limited product inventory quickly sold out— a surreal experience for Giddings.
“It’s an amazing feeling to see people walking around with my merch on that are complete strangers. When I saw someone at the game with my merch on, I would walk up to them and ask about the merch and if they knew the brand,” he said.
“A lot of them would say, ‘Well, I don’t know anything about the brand, I just like the designs, so I picked it up and bought it,’ and that was even cooler— to know that the brand is that eye-catching, that a complete stranger will pick it up. That’s special to us. We never take that for granted.”
From an idea born in adversity to a brand embraced by an NBA team, Jordin Giddings’ 3nergy Forever is a testament to resilience, creativity, and the power of authenticity.
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