The AND1 Live Tour, formerly known as the AND1 Mixtape Tour, is a traveling
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
competition and exhibition presented by
B-Ball and Company and the basketball apparel manufacturer
AND1.
A group of
streetball
Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...
players, along with Emcee Rell and B-Ball and Company CEO Linda Hill, travel from town to town and challenge teams composed of local talent. Games tend to be characterized by isolation one-on-one ball handling moves and acrobatic
slam dunk
A slam dunk, also simply known as dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one ...
s and
alley-oop
An alley-oop in basketball is an offensive play in which one player throws the ball near the basket to a teammate who jumps, catches the ball in mid-air and dunks or lays it in before touching the ground.
The alley-oop combines elements of team ...
s.
The tour was televised in half-hour "Streetball" segments on
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%).
ESPN2 was initially fo ...
, and were compiled into highlight reels, offered under the mark AND1 Mixtape, which were sold on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
. AND1 has released 10 volumes. The first mixtape was ''AND1 Mixtape Volume 1'' (1998) and the most recent is ''AND1 Mixtape X'' (2008). The AND1 team has toured the world, meeting success against most international teams and scoring wins over adversaries from places as diverse as Chile and Angola, remaining undefeated outside the continental United States until they lost to the debuting
Puerto Rico Streetballers in 2012.
Controversy
AND1's calling card and large reason for success are the flashy moves that rely on a more lenient set of rules than in regulation basketball. This has led to comparisons with the
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...
and has caused some journalists to criticize the tour. Supporters of the tour have responded by backing up AND1's credibility and the players' legitimate skill. The AND1 players maintain that they are serious basketball players who play against the seven best local players from each city.
[ Many of the current and former AND1 Mixtape Tour players have played in college and in professional organizations such as the CBL, ABA, ]NBDL
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...
, NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
or overseas.
AND1 Live Streetballers
Official MC of the Tour: Emcee Rell
* Robin Kennedy Jr. a.k.a Sik Wit It from Pasadena, California
* Philip Champion
Philip Champion (born June 13, 1976 in Fort Campbell, KY and raised in Jacksonville, FL) also known as Hot Sauce, is an American former professional basketball player who has played on the Streetball AND1 Mixtape Tour from its creation in 2002 ...
a.k.a. Hot Sauce from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
* Antony Heyward Jr. a.k.a. 1/2 Man 1/2 Amazing from Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
* Troy Jackson a.k.a. Escalade from Queens, New York
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...
* Dennis Chism a.k.a. Spyda from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
* Waliyy Dixon
Waliyy Dixon (born February 7, 1974), better known by his streetball nickname "Main Event", is an American professional basketball player. He was born and raised in Linden, New Jersey.
Early life
Dixon spent his youth honing his streetball skills ...
a.k.a. Main Event from Linden, New Jersey
Linden is a city in southeastern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area, located about southwest of Manhattan and bordering Staten Island, a borough of New York City, across the Arthur Kill ...
* Jerome Holman a.k.a. Circus from Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
* Robert Martin a.k.a. 50 from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. Cousin of NBA player Kenyon Martin
* Brandon LaCue a.k.a. Werm from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...
* David Gabriel a.k.a. Big Dave from Port Saint Lucie, Florida
Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Orlando and north of Miami. The Port St. Lu ...
* Hugh Jones a.k.a. Baby Shack from Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
* Marvin Collins a.k.a. Highrizer from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
* Paul Otim a.k.a. Polo from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
* Guy Dupuy a.k.a. Easy J from Nice, France
Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...
* Grayson Boucher
Grayson "The Professor" Scott Boucher (born June 10, 1984) is an American streetball player, actor, and former semi-professional basketball player. He is most known for playing on the highly stylized, international AND1 Mixtape Tour; he has also ...
a.k.a. The Professor from Keizer, Oregon
Keizer () is a city located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, along the 45th parallel. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 36,478. It lies in the Willamette Valley, and is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Ar ...
* Rafer Alston
Rafer Jamel Alston (born July 24, 1976), also known as Skip to my Lou or Skip 2 My Lou, is an American retired professional basketball player. Alston first gained basketball fame playing in the AND1 Mixtape Tour in 1999 before making the National ...
a.k.a. Skip to my Lou, from Bronx, New York
The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...
.
* Shane Woney a.k.a. The Dribbling Machine from Bronx, New York
The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...
* Larry Williams
Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...
a.k.a. The Bone Collector from Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County, Texas, Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the List of cities in Texa ...
* Taurian Fontenette
Taurian J. Fontenette (born 1983), also known as "Air Up There" and "Mr. 720", is a streetball player from Hitchcock, Texas, Hitchcock, Texas. He is a former player on the AND1 Mixtape Tour, AND1 Mixtape and Ball4Real Tours. He is 6'2" tall and ...
a.k.a. Air Up There from Hitchcock, Texas
Hitchcock is a city in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,961 at the 2010 census.
History
Hitchcock was created as a station of the railroad between Galveston and Houston in 1873 and around the turn of the 20th century ...
* Aaron Owens
Aaron Owens (born March 20, 1974), better known by his nickname "AO", is an American streetball player from North Philadelphia.
In 2013, Owens participated in the Ball4Real World Tour. He was on the AND1 Mixtape Tour from its creation until 200 ...
a.k.a. AO from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
* Tyrone Evans a.k.a. Alimoe
* Andre Poole a.k.a Silk
* Tim Gittens a.k.a Headache
AND1 Mixtape Volumes
*''AND1 Mixtape Vol. 1'' – The "Skip Mixtape", mainly focused on Rafer Alston
Rafer Jamel Alston (born July 24, 1976), also known as Skip to my Lou or Skip 2 My Lou, is an American retired professional basketball player. Alston first gained basketball fame playing in the AND1 Mixtape Tour in 1999 before making the National ...
.
*''AND1 Mixtape Vol. 2'' – All games on this tape were filmed in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and Linden, New Jersey
Linden is a city in southeastern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area, located about southwest of Manhattan and bordering Staten Island, a borough of New York City, across the Arthur Kill ...
.
*''AND1 Mixtape Vol. 3'' – This tape was given to people who bought a pair of AND1 shoes.
*''AND1 Mixtape Vol. 4'' – Volume 4 was the first tape documenting the AND1 Mixtape Tour, which visited Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Washington D. C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
*''AND1 Mixtape Vol. 5'' – Volume 5 was the return of Alston, after he had been playing Division I basketball at Fresno State University
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...
for three years.
*''AND1 Mixtape Vol. 6'' – Volume 6 toured Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, and New York City.
*''AND1 Mixtape Vol. 7'' – Every game in this volume was played in NBA arenas, and Grayson Boucher
Grayson "The Professor" Scott Boucher (born June 10, 1984) is an American streetball player, actor, and former semi-professional basketball player. He is most known for playing on the highly stylized, international AND1 Mixtape Tour; he has also ...
was discovered in the Open Run in Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
Open Run. The tape also featured a brief appearance from retired basketball player Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...
.
*''AND1 Mixtape Vol. 8: Back on the Block'' – ''Back on the Block'' featured a lot of "Crash the Court" footage, in which the AND1 team plays against local teams in public streetball locations.
*''AND1 Mixtape Vol. 9: Area Codes'' – This volume shows the hometown and home court of every member of the AND1 team, including Philadelphia with Aaron Owens
Aaron Owens (born March 20, 1974), better known by his nickname "AO", is an American streetball player from North Philadelphia.
In 2013, Owens participated in the Ball4Real World Tour. He was on the AND1 Mixtape Tour from its creation until 200 ...
and Los Angeles with Kenny Brunner
Kenneth D. Brunner II (born December 8, 1978) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Brunner played college basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas and the Southern Idaho Golden Eagles.
Early life
Bruner was born on December ...
.
*''AND1 Mixtape X: The United Streets of America'' – ''AND1 Mixtape X'' marked a decade of AND1, with footage from the United Streets Of America tour, which featured former Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
Player Carlos Arroyo
Carlos Alberto Arroyo Bermúdez (born July 30, 1979) is a Puerto Rican former professional basketball player, and reggaeton singer. Arroyo had previously played in the National Basketball Association with the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, U ...
.
Additional AND1 Mixtape Volumes
*''AND1 Ball Access: Global Invasion'' – Everything from the courts to the culture in Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, and Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
. This was the first And 1 Mix Tape tour overseas adventure.
*''AND1 Mixtape Tour: Asia Pacific'' – The '2004 AND 1 Mixtape World Tour' that ended with a comprehensive international visit of the Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
and Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
in November. A compilation footage of the journey from Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
to Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. Includes previously unreleased tracks from Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Sam Scarfo, Clipse, Dipset featuring JR Writer, and Kanecc.
*''AND1 Ball Access: The Mixtape Tour'' – A documentary that highlights the 2002 And1 Mix Tape Tour. Get on the bus for a behind the scenes look at the action on and off the court as it rolls through Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, , Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
and the rest of the summer's Mix Tape Tour cities. It's an all access pass into life on the Tour as the Players show how their creativity, flair and attitude isn't limited to what they can do on the court.
References
External links
AND1 Homepage
AND1 LIVE Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:AND1 Mixtape
AND1
Basketball organizations
Recurring sporting events established in 1998
Streetball