When he arrived at the camp to register the next day, he was told he would not be allowed to participate. Description. Billupshad played a big part in the Pistons knocking off the New Jersey Nets in the Conference Finals, and then led them to the finish line with a 4-1 Finals Series victory against the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers. The closest Booger came to playing pro ball came in 2001, when he relocated to Chicago to flee drug charges. However, they still remain immortalized in the stories of oldheads in every hood. Players likeLatrellSprewell, Kevin Garnett and Jamal Crawford brought AND1 into the national spotlight. Troy had found his that.. Troy and Mark were super close friends. Now, you may or may not have heard of Rafer Alston, so heres a quick background on him. He only played in 20 games during his time at Louisville and averaged three points and 1.6 rebounds coming off the bench. He became famous playing in the international traveling basketball competition AND1 Mixtape Tour. For the very first time players and fans will be able to enter this fabled world as an active force for good or evil. [5] Supporters of the tour have responded by backing up AND1's credibility and the players' legitimate skill. What wasn't "traditional" about Alston is what led to an entire movement for basketball on the streets. Crowland, who played for Crowland Town FC in England, was rushed to the hospital after collapsing on the field. Just about all NYC DUDES I saw play all are deserving,I saw some brothers from CHI-TOWN that were incredible-EDDIE HUGHES,PAUL MCPHERSON,TEDDY GRUBBS,ISIAH OMG HE WAS BETTER IN STREETS THEN THE NBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ballislife.com is your 1 stop shop for everything basketball! The official video game of AND 1 Streetball. Jason Kidd and Gary Payton both agreed that he was the best player to come out of Oakland. AND1 NBA - : , , -, , , , . Lewis became a fixture in summer and street ball leagues across southern California. He used the nickname 'Escalade' because of his size, and he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Not only did everyone know him, they loved him, says Mark. He was notorious for winning amateur dunk contests around California. Lewis left Cal-St. LA after his sophomore season and was drafted in the first round (18th overall). It took the pro stars of the NBA and put them in the AND 1 streetball environment where they could face each other 1-on-1. After community college he attended Norfolk State University and played with future NBA star Bob Dandridge. His legacy lives on today with every ankle-breaking crossover, every gasp from the crowd and every embarrassed defender who tries to cover a player, like Iverson, who there is simply no answer for. He would pull up to the Rucker and double-park his Rolls Royce then go put in work. He would electrify the crowds with his variety of moves and long jumpers raining out of the sky. But his game was never made for organized ball. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. The Professor (far left), Escalade (far right), He knew how to handle his business. In 2003 Steve Francis brought a team full of pros down to Goodman league to take on Curt Smiths team. He was balling.. Mark had the discipline that Troy did not. The Destroyer had his chances to play in the NBA. Troy gained a lot of . That was their foundation. Although many players seemed unhappy with the money they made based on the Netflix documentary Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1", Philip Champion wasnt in the same boat. AND 1 BALLERS. Billy was drafted and cut by the Chicago Bulls. He attended North Idaho junior college and excelled on the basketball court. Guys like this are hard to find these days, but streetball is still a prevalent part of the NBA today, despite the lack of streetballers in the game. Former University of Georgia football player Jalen Carter is now facing charges after police say he was involved in the crash that . Save yourself the embarrassment." "He traveled all around the world and touched so many lives," Mark Jackson told The Post from Los Angeles. He was said to be a typical New York guard with flashy handle, vision and the ability to score around the basket. That love made Escalade a sought-after player for any company in the streetball space, and at the time of his passing, he was in Los Angeles with the crew from the Ball Up tour, which had Professor on board as well. AND 1 Streetball: With Erik Betts, Grayson Boucher, Phillip Champion, Dennis Chism. He gave something to this sports community and to the kids that he touched. But later, my brotherwho is a video editor, toowould make these Escalade mixes and they went crazy. Raymond Lewis - Jerry Tarkanian once remarked "Raymond Lewis was the greatest basketball player I ever saw. Carter then put on one of the greatest performances in NBA Dunk Contest historyall while wearing the red and white Tai Chis. Alimoe / The Black Widow from, Antony Heyward Jr. a.k.a. If you still don't believe he's that good heres a clip from Watson in the 35 and over league. On Saturday, a 23-year-old soccer player named Michael Palmer died after collapsing during a game. Version. Rafer Alston isn't your normal NBA player. So who was this 610, 450-pound behemoth (his weight fluctuated wildly between about 360-500, but 450 seems like the most regular estimate) who was still breaking cats off with crossovers, finishing with dunks and knocking everyones socks off with smiles as big as his midsection when he died in 2011 at age 38 of hypertensive heart disease? But, AND 1 did add some new players. Jackson was born in Queens on January 11, 1976 and played basketball in college and was featured on theAnd1 Mixtape Tour. I dont think theres ever been anyone in streetball with his size that could move and handle like he did. Says Marie, a founding and still active member of the 21-year-old Mothers of Professional Basketball Players organization: Mark was eight years old when he told us he was going to play ball. Williams was nicknamed White Chocolate by Stephanie Shepard, a reporter who covered the Sacramento Kings (where Williams played his first four seasons). Copyright 2023 Legends Clothing Co. | Website builder by Shopify, Comments have to be approved before showing up, Good Old Boys - Jason Williams & Randy Moss, 10 Greatest High School Basketball Teams of All Time, Best Playground Basketball Courts in America. In 1977 he returned to the Rucker Tournament after a four year absence to set a league record with 73 points in a game. He grew up playing against top NBA point guards like Rod Strickland, Rafter Alston and Kenny Anderson. Ben Osborne is the Editor In Chief of Bleacher Report. Sik Wit It. In the words of Seth Berger, co-founder of AND1: By shining a light on a game that lived in the shadows, streetball started shaping the basketball lifestyle. The videotape was later known as the "Skip Tape," referring to Alston's streetball nickname "Skip 2 My Lou." The Bulls offered Pee Wee 40k for a one year contract to which Pee-Wee replied Thanks, but no thanks. People loved him and his style of play, and he was a source of inspiration for many hoopers. I had just spoken to my son the night before and he was fine. Carter was an innovator of the air and is the inspiration for so many of todays best dunkers. Be the first one to comment on this story. I'm sad.". From trash-talking to mind games to even blowing in James ear at one point, Lance did whatever he could to get into James head and under his skin. Check out a few of his high flying dunks. Hot Sauce. Mark made him feel like he was part of everything in that NBA life, and that made Troy a brat for a little bit. Just ask your sources who played and grew up in Chicago during the 60s/70s. But he matured, and became my gentle giant. That was always really impressive, especially at 6'9", 400 pounds.. It was presented by B-Ball and Company and the basketball apparel manufacturer AND1. It was presented by B-Ball and Company and the basketball apparel manufacturer AND1. Streetballers are rare in todays gameplayers that care more about highlights than defense and players who are more interested in embarrassing whoever dares to defend them than actually winning the game. In addition to shaking and baking defenders, Crawford is also a cold-blooded three-point shooter, connecting on 35 percent of his looks from downtown throughout his career. Myree Reemix Bowden, Rest in Peace, Tyrone Alimoe Evans aka the Black Widow. Looking back, he says I just was bored with it, He admits he had no interest in playing at school, no dreams of the NBA. But the rest of the world begged to differ. I spoke with him very briefly that stop, then more at the next one and the next one after that. You better find something you like and do that., Es joined us for the tour in 2003, right as we were really taking off, and he had a huge presence with the fans, says Mandy Murphy, who was the public relations manager for And1 from 2002-06 and is now head of growth, strategy and development at. New product drops were also showcased during the event with proceeds from all sales benefiting Brooklyn-based community organizations. Streetball legends are a thing of the past. 2005-2023 Ballislife.com PO Box 15355. Troy had the talent but not the discipline. Streetball was the place for him. Directed by Chris Robinson ("Shooting Stars," "ATL") and Set Free Richardson, the documentary examines how 1990s streetball and the And1 Mixtape transformed basketball culture at large. The 5-9 Smith matched up head-to-head with Kenny Anderson, outplaying Anderson it was Smith who took home the MVP trophy. AND1 began in the summer of93 in Philadelphia as a graduate school project of JayCoen Gilbert, Seth Berger, and Tom Austin who were selling t-shirts out of the backseat of their cars. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. If Troy had the discipline Mark did, he could have played anywhere.. With the increasing success of the trash-talk tees, the iconic AND1 player logo was soon created. His bite overshadows his bark, something not found very often. Director of Trends and Social Media, The Huffington Post. Troy (Escalade) Jackson grinned as he used his 6-10, nearly 400-pound frame to back down a hapless defender in the parking lot of KeySpan Park three weeks ago. AND 1 Streetball straddled the line between . The Knicks tipped off the 87-88 season with one of the best young centers in the game (recent No. I remember one time, we were walking through the mall, and some kids ran behind us, and Im thinking, They must recognize me. Instead, one of them taps me on the shoulder shyly and asks, Can we take a picture with Escalade? Mark says. Hot Sauce took his . They offered him a contract, but he turned it down because there wasn't a no-cut-clause. Critics would complain that AND1s style of play was tainting the purity of the game, as streetballers would put on shows of extraordinary moves that didnt always comply with the conventional rules of basketball. His reputation was so great, the Lakers team traveled to Harlem to watch him play in the summer. Maybe because streetball wasnt that hot right at that moment. He wanted to make it on his own. Regarding the AND 1 mix tape tour, yes, it still exists, and it's still hot. Es joined us for the tour in 2003, right as we were really taking off, and he had a huge presence with the fans, says Mandy Murphy, who was the public relations manager for And1 from 2002-06 and is now head of growth, strategy and development at PeacePlayers International. Based on the ESPN series of the same name, players get to step in the shoes of top Streetball players or create their own baller as they try to earn a contract with AND 1 on the Mix Tape Tour. Dont forget junie and bi)y tinsley. Games tend to be characterized by isolation one-on-one ball handling moves and acrobatic slam dunks and alley-oops. The idea was to gather footage for their . How about when we call himEscalade? An all city selection in high school at Dunbar, he played college ball at Northern Illinois. But in 2000, they were instantly vaulted into the stratosphere. Thanks for being you.. The challenge brought great buzz to AND1, with fans constantly looking to outdo each other - on the courts and on social media. December 21, 2018. Artie Green, Sundance,Richie (The Animal) AdamsPookie Wilson,Skip to my Lou,Abjack, The Prime Objective.Alonzo (SuperKid) Jackson. He was always on time, well-spoken, high character, center of attention in any room, just, . Born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Champion was pretty famous in his neighborhood, spending most of his time on a basketball court. In 2012, AND1 signed Lance Born Ready Stephenson to an NBA endorsement deal. RELATED: The 50 Greatest Ankle-Breakers in NBA History in GIFs, The 50 Greatest Ankle-Breakers in NBA History in GIFs. Other times, it's the pros who hit the asphalt for a blast of adrenaline. Neighborhood, spending most of his high flying dunks, especially at 6 ' 9 '' 400! Will be able to enter this fabled world as an active force for or... Jackson told the Post from Los Angeles Gary Payton both agreed that touched..., spending most of his time on a basketball court went crazy he was a source of for. And asks, Can we take a picture with Escalade theAnd1 Mixtape Tour Northern Illinois player to come out Oakland. Overall ) was so great, the Huffington Post always really impressive, especially at 6 9! 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