AND1 Live Tour facts for kids
The AND1 Live Tour was a super cool traveling basketball show that ran from 1998 to 2008. It was put on by a company called B-Ball and Company and the famous basketball clothing brand AND1. Imagine a team of amazing streetball players, led by Emcee Rell, traveling to different towns. They would challenge local basketball teams in exciting games! These games were known for incredible one-on-one moves, fancy ball handling, and awesome slam dunks and alley-oops.
The tour was so popular that parts of it were shown on TV as "Streetball" segments on ESPN2. The best plays were put together into highlight videos called AND1 Mixtapes, which you could buy on DVD. AND1 made 10 of these mixtapes. The first one came out in 1998, and the last one, AND1 Mixtape X, was released in 2008. The AND1 team even traveled around the world, winning against many international teams. They were undefeated outside the United States until 2012 when they lost to the Puerto Rico Streetballers.
Who Were the AND1 Streetballers?
The official announcer for the tour was Emcee Rell. Here are some of the famous players who were part of the AND1 team:
- Rafer Alston (a.k.a. Skip to my Lou) from Bronx, New York
- Grayson Boucher (a.k.a. The Professor) from Keizer, Oregon
- Philip Champion (a.k.a. Hot Sauce) from Atlanta, Georgia
- Waliyy Dixon (a.k.a. Main Event) from Linden, New Jersey
- Taurian Fontenette (a.k.a. Air Up There) from Hitchcock, Texas
- Troy Jackson (a.k.a. Escalade) from Queens, New York
- Aaron Owens (a.k.a. AO) from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Larry Williams (a.k.a. The Bone Collector) from Tyler, Texas
- John Humphrey (a.k.a. Helicopter) from Morehead City, North Carolina
- Dennis Chism (a.k.a. Spyda) from Atlanta, Georgia
- Marvin Collins (a.k.a. Highrizer) from Atlanta, Georgia
- Guy Dupuy (a.k.a. Easy J) from Nice, France
- Tyrone Evans (a.k.a. Alimoe / The Black Widow) from Harlem
- David Gabriel (a.k.a. Big Dave) from Port Saint Lucie, Florida
- Tim Gittens (a.k.a Headache) from New York City
- Antony Heyward Jr. (a.k.a. 1/2 Man 1/2 Amazing) from Brooklyn, New York
- Jerome Holman (a.k.a. Circus) from Brooklyn, New York
- Hugh Jones (a.k.a. Baby Shack) from Washington, D.C.
- Robin Kennedy Jr. (a.k.a Sik Wit It) from Pasadena, California
- Brandon LaCue (a.k.a. Werm) from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
- Robert Martin (a.k.a. 50) from Atlanta, Georgia. He's the cousin of NBA player Kenyon Martin.
- Paul Otim (a.k.a. Polo) from Atlanta, Georgia
- Andre Poole (a.k.a Silk) from Baltimore
- Shane Woney (a.k.a. The Dribbling Machine) from Bronx, New York
What Were the AND1 Mixtape Videos?
The AND1 Mixtapes were highlight videos showing the best moves and games from the tour. Here's a look at some of them:
- AND1 Mixtape Vol. 1 (1998) – This first mixtape was nicknamed the "Skip Mixtape" because it mostly focused on the amazing skills of Rafer Alston.
- AND1 Mixtape Vol. 2 (1999) – All the games in this video were filmed in exciting cities like New York City and Linden, New Jersey.
- AND1 Mixtape Vol. 3 (2000) – This special mixtape was given to people who bought a pair of AND1 shoes.
- AND1 Mixtape Vol. 4 (2001) – This was the first video that showed the actual AND1 Mixtape Tour as it traveled to different cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City.
- AND1 Mixtape Vol. 5 (2002) – This volume marked the return of Rafer Alston, who had been playing college basketball at Fresno State University for three years.
- AND1 Mixtape Vol. 6 (2003) – Volume 6 featured games from the tour in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City.
- AND1 Mixtape Vol. 7 (2004) – Every game in this video was played in big NBA arenas! This is also where Grayson Boucher (The Professor) was discovered during an open tryout in Portland, Oregon. Even retired basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal made a short appearance.
- AND1 Mixtape Vol. 8: Back on the Block (2005) – This mixtape included lots of "Crash the Court" footage. This is where the AND1 team would play against local teams in public streetball spots.
- AND1 Mixtape Vol. 9: Area Codes (2006) – This volume showed off the hometowns and home courts of each AND1 team member, like Aaron Owens in Philadelphia and Kenny Brunner in Los Angeles.
- AND1 Mixtape X: The United Streets of America (2008) – This mixtape celebrated ten years of AND1! It featured footage from the United Streets Of America tour and even included former Boston Celtics player Carlos Arroyo.
More AND1 Mixtape Videos
- AND1 Ball Access: The Mixtape Tour (2002) – This was a documentary that took you behind the scenes of the 2002 AND1 Mix Tape Tour. You could see what life was like on and off the court as the team traveled through cities like Boston, New Orleans, Atlanta, New York, and Louisville. It showed how creative and cool the players were, not just during games.
- AND1 Ball Access: Global Invasion (2004) – This video showed the first time the AND1 Mix Tape tour went overseas! It featured everything from the courts to the local culture in amazing cities like Paris, Barcelona, London, Milan, and Frankfurt.
- AND1 Mixtape Tour: Asia Pacific (2006) – This video was a compilation of the 2004 AND1 Mixtape World Tour's trip to the Far East and Australasia in November. It showed the journey from Tokyo to Sydney and included new music tracks from popular artists.
