Crafting Ja Morant’s custom Nike jewelry
When Nike Energy Marketing reached out to my aunt, Ginny F. Dizon of Jul B. Dizon Jewellery, the brief was almost surreal: design a custom necklace and shoe accessories for Ja Morant—Nike’s chosen gift to celebrate his visit to Manila on Aug. 1.
The first communication came in late May, but with multiple rounds of revisions, the final design was only approved for production on July 9. That left just over three weeks to handcraft a piece worthy of one of basketball’s brightest stars.
Ginny remembers the moment vividly. “What a thrill,” she says when I ask her about her first reaction. “One of my favorite creative processes is to design a special piece tailored to a person’s tastes, personality, and values. Doing one for a celebrity like Ja Morant is especially challenging.”
The challenge wasn’t just about the name attached to the piece. It was about translating energy into jewelry. Morant is known not only for his explosive game on the court but also for his bold, confident style. Nike wanted a piece that would capture that essence—while celebrating Manila and the craftsmanship of Filipino jewelry-making.
A race against time
The timeline was intense. Thankfully, Ginny already had a few preliminary layouts and stone selections on hand, thanks to prototypes her husband, Cedric, had been experimenting with, even before approval.
“We had a ‘game plan’ ready,” she says. “That saved us. I knew that production managers Penny and Sherwin, under CJ, and our entire atelier always came through, even if we had to do overtime.”
But just two days before the final approval came through, my grandfather, Cenen G. Dizon, husband of Jul B. Dizon and the patriarch of our family, passed away. The excitement of the opportunity collided with immense personal grief.
In the days that followed, the atmosphere in the house shifted. There was sadness, yes, but also a shared determination that brought everyone together each morning. As the workshop filled with the sound of tools and quiet conversation, every detail crafted for Morant’s piece became a small act of remembrance for my grandfather.
Floods and heavy rains may have also slowed the schedule, but they couldn’t dampen the drive to create something worthy of both the client and the legacy they were honoring. “Making it our goal to do Dad proud helped us to get mentally strong,” Ginny shares. “When you dedicate your work to someone, it gives you purpose. It helped us live up to his hopes and carry his legacy forward.”
The grand reveal
By the third week, the atelier was buzzing. The team worked long nights, catching up on lost time, every detail scrutinized. Gillian, Ginny’s daughter, even worked closely with her on the project, designing bespoke packaging that gave the gift an added touch of thoughtfulness.
The design itself came alive piece by piece. The chain was hammered, a finishing technique Ginny loves, but this time with a twist: two hammered ridges for extra texture. Hidden in the links were stylized Js and As, subtle nods to Morant’s name and Nike’s swoosh.
“It’s like a secret,” she says with a grin. “A detail meant only for Ja.”
On Aug. 1, the piece was finally ready—glinting under the lights, just hours before it would meet its new owner. When the moment came, Ginny admitted to a flicker of nerves as she stood in front of Ja Morant, the towering NBA star whose presence filled the room. “We presented the piece to Ja himself,” she says. “His reaction was one of surprise and pleasure. I could tell he was really a jewelry lover.”
At one point, Morant handed her the necklace and asked her to put it on him. Ginny, who barely reached his shoulder, laughed at the height difference. “It was funny,” she recalls. “He said he probably had to bend down for me to be able to do it.”
It was a fleeting but unforgettable moment—one that cemented the piece’s place in Jul B. Dizon history.
Legacy made real
For Ginny, the collaboration went beyond a name or a headline. “Nike chose us,” she says. “They believed in our creativity and our artisanship.” There was no mistaking the pride in her voice—a quiet satisfaction in knowing that a Filipino jewelry house had created something for a global icon, and done it under near-impossible circumstances.
This story is more than a celebrity moment. It is about Filipino craftsmanship standing tall on the world stage. A project that pushed through floods, grief, and sleepless nights to become a gleaming piece of wearable art for one of basketball’s biggest names.
As I write this, I can’t help but think that Morant left Manila with more than just a gift from Nike. He carried a piece of a story stitched together with resilience, artistry, and the enduring legacy of a Filipino family—dedicated to creating beauty under any circumstance.
