AJ Dybantsa × Frances Tiafoe:
Building Bridges
One relationship, turned into coverage across basketball, tennis and international media.
Legacy saw a connection no one else did. Frances Tiafoe and AJ Dybantsa are two young stars from different sports whose stories mirror each other. Both are sons of families who came to the U.S. from Africa, both grew up with humble beginnings, and both were rising to the top of their sports at the same time. We knew pairing them would create a relationship unlike anything else in sports.
In 2024, Legacy knew both would be at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and made sure their paths crossed. One introduction became a friendship, and Legacy stayed close to both in the years that followed.
When the Washington Wizards drafted AJ No. 1 overall, he landed in Frances’s backyard. Two of the brightest young stars in sports are now rooted in DC, with a foundation Legacy built long before the draft.
Legacy hosted AJ and his father at Roland Garros and the US Open, positioned the relationship as the story, and set up every media opportunity for AJ. We worked hand in hand with his father and business manager, Ace Dybantsa, and his management team. Together, we brought the story to some of the biggest media platforms in the world: an ESPN Q&A, a TNT Sports sit-down, a Bleacher Report mic’d up, and a New York Times feature on the two families’ bond.
With AJ in his player box at the US Open, Frances upset Daniil Medvedev and celebrated by pointing to AJ, basketball style. The moment spread across social media and was picked up by the ATP Tour, ClutchPoints, the Boston Globe, the Baltimore Banner and outlets across Europe.
We saw the connection, built the bridge, and created the moments that let the world see it. One relationship turned into coverage across basketball, tennis and international media. That’s what Legacy does: find the relationships that matter and make them bigger than sport.