Griffey, Jordan cross paths at Ryder Cup as Griffey shoots, Jordan watches

Ken Griffey Jr. and Michael Jordan shared a brief, high-profile moment Friday at the Ryder Cup on Long Island, as Griffey — credentialed to photograph the event — encountered the basketball icon along Bethpage Black. A circulating social media clip shows the two exchanging a handshake and a friendly dap as fans cheered from the course.

Griffey is serving as a photographer for the weekend competition, a role he has developed since 2015. He said photographing the Ryder Cup presents logistical challenges, including four concurrent groups on the course that require careful planning and movement to capture key exchanges and shot-making. “There’s gonna be four groups, so being strategic on where you got to go, I think that’s one of the things that I’m learning and mapping out,” Griffey told The Post. “I got to an assignment just like everybody else right now. I got to go in there and produce.”

Jordan, in town to watch the action during Friday's four-ball matches, added star power to the event as he moved along the course with spectators hoping for a glimpse of the NBA legend. Griffey, who has photographed major events from The Masters to the Daytona 500, explained that dividing attention across four groups means he must map routes and anticipate where the action will unfold in real time.

Griffey's career as a photographer has grown in recent years. Since 2015, he has shot a range of sports events, including The Masters earlier this year, IndyCar races, and leagues such as MLB, MLS and the NFL. The Ryder Cup assignment marks another high-profile assignment that blends his lifelong involvement with sports and his evolving role behind the lens. He told The Post that the challenge is not just the pace of play but also coordinating with event logistics to ensure he gets the best vantage points while respecting players’ rhythms.

Bethpage Black hosts the 2025 Ryder Cup this week, a biennial team competition featuring Europe and the United States. The tournament has drawn attention from across the sports world, and the publicized encounter between Griffey and Jordan on Friday underscored the event’s cross-sport appeal. The footage and photos shared across social platforms illustrate how fans and icons intersect at large-scale events, adding a layer of star power to a tournament rooted in golf competition.