AND1

Last updated
AND1
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Sports
Textile
FoundedAugust 13, 1993(30 years ago) (1993-08-13)
FoundersSeth Berger
Jay Coen Gilbert
Tom Austin
Headquarters
United States
Products Athletic shoes, clothing, accessories
Parent Galaxy Universal (2021–present) [1]
Website and1.com

AND1 is an American footwear and clothing company specializing in basketball shoes, clothing, and sporting goods. AND1 was founded on August 13, 1993. The company focuses strictly on basketball and is a subsidiary of Galaxy Universal. [1]

Contents

The company sponsors NBA athletes, as well as numerous high school and AAU teams in the United States.

History

Rise to fame

In 1993, AND1 began as a graduate school project partnership of Jay Coen Gilbert, Seth Berger, and Tom Austin while they were graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.[ citation needed ] [2] The company name is derived from a phrase used by basketball broadcasters to denote a free throw awarded to a player against whom a foul has been committed while scoring a goal.

The brand started by selling T-shirts out of the back of a car.[ citation needed ] Early advertising strategies included other basketball slogans and trash talk, such as "Pass. Save Yourself The Embarrassment". [3] They marketed their shirts to street basketball players. Foot Locker began to sell the shirts, and within the second year of launching, the business reached 1,500 stores across America.[ citation needed ]

In mid of 1996, NBA star Stephon Marbury became the first spokesman for AND1.[ citation needed ] With Marbury's signing, AND1 launched its first pair of basketball sneakers, its entry into the footwear category.

A pair of AND1 basketball shoes Taichissw.jpg
A pair of AND1 basketball shoes

In late 1998, a videotape containing streetball stunts was delivered to AND1 by Marquise Kelly, coach of the Benjamin Cardozo High school team in Queens, New York. The tape contained low quality camera moves, poor resolution and nearly indecipherable audio featuring a streetballer by the name of Rafer Alston. [4] At the time, Alston was a student at Fresno State who had entered the 1998 NBA draft. The videotape would soon be known as the "Skip tape", referring to Alston's streetball nickname "Skip to my Lou". [5] Alston later signed on with AND1.

In 1999 at Haverford College in Philadelphia, AND1 shot their first series of commercials and print ads incorporating NBA players Darrell Armstrong, Rex Chapman, Ab Osondu, Raef LaFrentz, Toby Bailey, and Miles Simon. When the traditional marketing campaign proved unsuccessful, a strategy was formed to use the "Skip tape". It was edited and reprinted into 50,000 copies, and over the next eight weeks, distributed across basketball camps, clinics, and record labels. The tape would become the first "Mixtape", and quickly made Alston into a celebrity. When AND1 became a product partner with FootAction, this strategy evolved into a national program.

Starting in the summer of 1999, a free AND1 Mixtape was given with any purchase. Approximately 200,000 tapes were distributed in the span of 3 weeks. [3]

Peak years

AND1 basketball shoes And1 basketball shoes.jpg
AND1 basketball shoes

AND1 began to recruit more and more NBA players to wear their product, including Latrell Sprewell, Kevin Garnett and Jamal Crawford. AND1 products began appearing at Foot Locker and FootAction. By the 2001 season, AND1 was second only to Nike in market share among NBA endorsees. They later became the second-largest basketball brand in the United States only eight years after their inception. [6]

AND1 summer tours, having begun in 1999, were expanded in 2002 into the Mixtape Tour with the release of Mixtape 3. Noted streetballers such as “Hot Sauce” and “The Professor” would go from court to court to challenge other streetballers in one-on-ones. The streetballers who prevailed through the very end of the summer tours would receive endorsement deals from AND1. From 2002 through 2008, the tours were televised live on ESPN under the name “Streetball” and competed with ESPN's “SportsCenter” for the highest ratings. The summer tours began in the United States but soon branched into more than 30 countries, with their products promoted in 130 countries and territories. [3]

AND1 apparel and footwear first appeared in the digital arena in Street Hoops in 2002, but in 2006 the brand officially made its entrance into the category, partnering with Ubisoft to release its first video game, AND 1 Streetball . A mobile version was also released by Gameloft. The game featured a story mode mirroring AND1's "Streetball" series on ESPN, where players were able to create their own basketball player and enter him in the AND 1 Mix Tape Tour in order to get a contract with the AND 1 team. Along the way, players were able to create their own stylized trick moves and pull them off with a two-analog stick system called "I BALL". The games were available on both PlayStation 2 and Xbox and received positive reviews. [7]

The downfall: 2010-present

Following a short hiatus, the AND1 Mixtape Tour returned in 2010, then known as the AND1 Live Streetball Tour. The tour continued to expand globally as the AND1 team toured the world. They remained undefeated outside the continental United States until they lost to the debuting Puerto Rico Streetballers in 2012.[ citation needed ]

Over the years, AND1 has changed hands a few times, first being bought out by American Sporting Goods in 2005 and subsequently sold to Brown Shoe Company in February 2011. On August 25, 2011, AND1 was sold to Galaxy Brands, a brand management company based in New York. The company later merged with Sequential Brands Group, [8] a publicly traded brand management company, but the personnel managing AND1 never changed. Under Sequential, AND1 has reconnected with its roots, signing marquee NBA players and sponsoring tournaments worldwide.

In November 2012, AND1 signed then-Pacer Lance Stephenson to an endorsement deal. [9] Stephenson had won the NYC basketball championships in all four years of high school, and became New York State's all-time leading scorer in high school basketball, named Mr. New York Basketball after his senior year. He would soon sign a multi-year deal with the Indiana Pacers, with AND1 signing him during his rookie season. Born Ready fit the AND1 streetball personality with his aggressive never-back-down attitude, which was put on national display during the 2014 NBA Conference Finals. Stephenson, who had led the league in triple-doubles that year and led the Pacers past the Knicks in the round prior, was paired against the Miami Heat’s LeBron James. From trash-talking to “mind games,” to even blowing in James ear at one point, Stephenson did whatever he could to get into James’ head and under his skin. [10]

In celebration of their 20-year anniversary, the brand hosted the AND1 Labor Day Summer Remix, a $100,000 winner-take-all basketball tournament in August 2013. The tournament took place in Temple University in Philadelphia, and also included a $10,000 dunk contest. [11]

Paying homage to Brooklyn streetball culture, AND1 partnered with SLAM magazine to host numerous events surrounding the 2015 NBA All-Star Game (played at the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn). Various charity events with two of New York's greatest streetball legends Lance Stephenson and Rafer "Skip to My Lou" Alston were followed by the launch of an exclusive pop-up retail lounge on Flatbush Avenue across from Barclays Center. [12]

Over one hundred AND1 High School and AAU teams play across America in various tournaments and leagues, and an AND1 circuit in the making. [13] [14] The company's annual overall revenue is approximately $140 million.[ citation needed ]

In February 2015, AND1 signed a lease to operate a retail store at 172 Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn, directly across the street from the Barclays Center. This is the company's first street retail location. [12]

In 2018, Kevin Garnett returned to AND1 as Creative Director and Global Ambassador. [15]

On August 31, 2021, Sequential Brands, AND1's parent, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. [16]

In September 2021, AND1 was acquired by Galaxy Universal. [17] [1]

AND1 Mixtape Tour

The AND1 team And1 team cropped.jpg
The AND1 team

The AND1 Mixtape Tour [3] has featured streetball players of fame, including Skip to My Lou, Main Event, The Professor, Hot Sauce, Spyda, 50, and AO. AND1 players have made annual tours around America to recruit the next streetball legend. This recruiting has since been edited for airing as Street Ball on ESPN and ESPN2. It is also parodied in the movie Like Mike 2: Streetball as "Game On".

The tour was televised in half-hour "Streetball" segments on ESPN2, and were compiled into highlight reels, offered under the mark AND1 Mixtape, which were sold on DVD. AND1 has released 10 volumes. The first mixtape was AND1 Mixtape Volume 1 (1998) and the most recent is AND1 Mixtape X (2008).

Following a short hiatus, the AND1 Mixtape Tour would return in 2010, now known as the AND1 Live Streetball Tour. The AND1 team has toured the world, meeting success against most international teams and scoring wins over adversaries as diverse as Chile and Angola, remaining undefeated outside the United States until they lost to the debuting Puerto Rico Streetballers in 2012.

Current sponsorship

Video games

EA Sports' NBA Street , published in 2001, featured dunks and passes in AND1 fashion, but was licensed from the NBA. In 2002, Activision announced the first AND1 video game called Street Hoops , featuring AND1 players. Gameloft has also released a mobile game based on the AND1 franchise. In 2006, Ubisoft released the second AND1 video game, AND 1 Streetball . Both games were developed by Black Ops Entertainment.

TitlePublisherDeveloperPlatformRelease Date
Street Hoops Activision Black Ops Entertainment PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube August 12, 2002
AND 1 Streetball Ubisoft Black Ops EntertainmentPlayStation 2, XboxJune 6, 2006

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rafer Alston</span> American basketball player (born 1976)

Rafer Jamel Alston, 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 joining the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Milwaukee Bucks. While in the NBA from 1999 to 2010, he played for six teams, including the 2008–09 Orlando Magic team that made the NBA Finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streetball</span> Variation of basketball

Streetball 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 to publicly showcase their own individual skills. Streetball may also refer to other urban sports played on asphalt. It is particularly popular and important in New York City and Los Angeles, though its popularity has spread across the United States due to the game's adaptability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rucker Park</span> Basketball court in Manhattan, New York

Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park is a basketball court at the border of Harlem and the Coogan's Bluff section of Washington Heights neighborhoods of Manhattan, at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, just east of the former Polo Grounds site. It is geographically at the base of a large cliff named Coogan's Bluff. Many who have played at the park in the Entertainer's Basketball Classic achieved a level of fame for their abilities, and several have gone on to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Philip Champion 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 2000.

<i>AND 1 Streetball</i> 2006 video game

AND 1 Streetball is a streetball video game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, developed by Black Ops Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. The game was released on June 6, 2006, in conjunction with the AND1 Mixtape Tour. A scaled-down, mobile version of the game, developed by Gameloft, called "And1 Street Basketball" was also released.

Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell, also known as Waliyy Abdur Rahim is a former streetball player from Oakland, California. He was well known among San Francisco Bay Area basketball players in the late 1980s, but in spite of his considerable talents, he did not reach the National Basketball Association (NBA). Among the NBA players who grew up with Mitchell, and now speak of his talent with great admiration, are Brian Shaw, Antonio Davis, and All-Stars Jason Kidd and Gary Payton. Many have suggested he had the ability to become one of the greatest NBA stars of all time. He attended McClymonds High School and played for local college teams, but is best known for his dominance in local streetball tournaments. Mitchell was listed in Complex magazine as #11 on a list of the "20 Greatest Basketball Players to Never Play in the NBA."

Taurian J. Fontenette, also known as "Air Up There" and "Mr. 720", is a streetball player from Hitchcock, Texas. He is a former player on the AND1 Mixtape and Ball4Real Tours. He is 6'2" tall and weighs 185 pounds. Fontenette attended Hitchcock High School and attended three different colleges: UTEP in 2000–01, Richland Junior College in 2001–04, and Paul Quinn College in 2004–05. His original streetball name was "Air Up There", but due to naming rights claimed by AND1, he goes by "Mr. 720", "Birdman", "The Human Pogo Stick", "Your Highness", and "Way Up There".

Deshun Jackson, aka "Father Time", is an American streetball player from Bakersfield, California who has appeared on two ESPN television shows. He was featured on season 2 of the AND1 Mixtape Tour television show on ESPN, and later on the show ESPN City Slam. Jackson is 6-foot 1-inch tall and plays shooting guard. He is known for his perimeter shooting skills. In 2005, Jackson finished 2nd in the City Slam 3-Point Shooting Championships, losing in a close battle to "Black Jack" Ryan. In 2009, Jackson participated in the SpikeTV show Pros vs Joes, where Jackson and 2 other "Joes" faced off against retired NBA players Ron Harper, Eddie Jones, and Shawn Kemp in a series of basketball related challenges. In the final 3-on-3 contest, Jackson's team was able to defeat the former NBA players in overtime. Jackson attended West High School in Bakersfield.

The AND1 Live Tour, formerly known as the AND1 Mixtape Tour, was a traveling basketball competition and exhibition that existed from 1998 to 2008. It was presented by B-Ball and Company and the basketball apparel manufacturer AND1. A group of streetball players, along with Emcee Rell and B-Ball and Company CEO Linda Hill, travelled from town to town and challenge teams composed of local talent. Games tended to be characterized by isolation one-on-one ball handling moves and acrobatic slam dunks and alley-oops.

Cardell Anthony Butler, also known as "Ballaholic," is an American streetball player. He is known for his appearances on the AND1 Mixtape Tour shows, which aired on ESPN. In conventional basketball, Butler has also played for the San Diego Wildcats of the American Basketball Association. He is 6-foot 4-inches tall, wears size 19 shoes, and plays the guard position. Butler is known for his aggressive scoring ability. When he was 15, Butler received his nickname, "Ballaholic", because he earned a reputation on the basketball court of always shooting the ball whenever he gained possession of it. Butler now plays for the San Francisco Rumble of the American Basketball Association.

Jamar Davis, also known as "The Pharmacist", is an American streetball player from Mount Vernon, New York. He is best known for his appearances on the AND1 Mixtape Tour, which aired on ESPN. On the streets of Mt. Vernon, Davis honed his streetball talents, primarily at his home court, 4th Street Park. In 2001, while playing in Rucker Park in New York City for Team Ruff Riders, he received his streetball name "The Pharmacist" from Hannibal because his dribbling skills seemed "morphine based."

Emmanuel Bibb, also known as Hard Work, is an American streetball player from Detroit, Michigan. He is 6-foot 2-inches tall and plays shooting guard. In streetball, he is best known for his appearances on the AND1 Mixtape Tour, which airs on ESPN.

Tavorris Bell, also known as "Night Train," is an American streetball player. He is best known for his appearance in season two of the AND1 Mixtape Tour, which used to air on ESPN. He is known for his dunking ability.

Brandon Durham, better known by his nickname "The Assassin", is an American streetball player from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Durham played for John Marshall High School although he is best known for his appearance on the ESPN television show "Street Ball – The AND1 Mixtape Tour". Durham is 6-0" tall, weighs 170 pounds and plays the point guard position. In the 2005 season of the AND1 Mixtape Tour, Durham competed at the Oklahoma City open run and performed well enough to play in the main game later in the evening. Durham also appears as a character in the AND1 Streetball video game. Durham was offered the opportunity to play for the AND1 team but he rejected it, saying his education was more important than basketball. Durham instead chose to play at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball4Real</span> Traveling basketball exhibition and competition

Ball4Real was the name of a traveling basketball exhibition and competition which made its debut in June 2007. A group of well-known streetball players traveled from city to city to challenge teams composed of local talent. Games tended to be characterized by complicated dribbling, ballhandling, and passing, acrobatic slam dunks, and a looser interpretation of rules.

Troy Jackson was an American basketball player. The younger brother of retired NBA player Mark Jackson, he was a member of the AND1 Mixtape Tour, known by his streetball nickname "Escalade". Jackson was listed by AND1 at 6'10" and 375 pounds.

Waliyy Dixon, better known by his streetball nickname "Main Event", is an American professional basketball player. He was born and raised in Linden, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grayson Boucher</span> American basketball player

Grayson Scott "The Professor" Boucher is an American professional streetball player. He is most known for playing on the highly stylized, international AND1 Mixtape Tour; he has also appeared in several movies including, Semi-Pro, Ball Don't Lie, and Hustle and he is a playable character in several video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streetball in Puerto Rico</span> Popularity of basketball in Puerto Rico

Linked to the popularity of basketball in Puerto Rico, the recurrence of streetball has become intertwined with the practice of the sport in all of its levels. Taking influence from the grassroots connection of Nuyorican streetballers to the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, the practice is widespread in Puerto Rico, with impromptu games being a highly common occurrence for decades. Organized streetball gained momentum in the early 2000s and soon became involved with the local urban culture, especially the hip hop and reggaeton industries, giving origin to teams like Puerto Rico Streetball and the Puerto Rico Streetballers. Organizations based in Puerto Rico have played against foreign competition, with the results including the first win of an international team over the prominent AND1 Live Tour Team. Teams native to the archipelago are affiliated to the Street Basketball Association and FIBA's 3x3 basketball program.

Larry "Bone Collector" Williams is an American streetball basketball player who earned the name the Bone Collector for his ability to "break players' ankles".

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sequential Brands Agrees To Sell Active Assets To Galaxy Universal – September 1, 2021 by Thomas J. Ryan at SGB Executive
  2. ↑ "AND1'S LEGENDARY HISTORY".
  3. 1 2 3 4 Busbee, Jay. "And1: Well-Fed Street Cred". Chicago Sports Review. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
  4. ↑ Christian, Olivia (December 21, 2018). "DJ Set Free On The Origin And Legacy Of The And1 Mixtapes". wbur.org. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  5. ↑ AND1. "The Original AND1 Mixtape: The Skip Tape with Rafer "Skip 2 My Lou" Alston". youtube. Retrieved 27 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "A Look at the History of the B Corp Movement". Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit. 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  7. ↑ "And 1® Streetball". Playstation. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  8. ↑ "Sequential Brands Group Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Galaxy Brand Holdings (NASDAQ:SQBG)". ir.sequentialbrandsgroup.com. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  9. ↑ "Lance Stephenson Signs Endorsement Deal With AND 1 | SLAMonline". SLAMonline. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  10. ↑ "GIF: Lance Stephenson Got Weird With LeBron". The Huffington Post. 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  11. ↑ "AND1 Hosts $100,000 Basketball Tournament Labor Day Weekend". The Hoop Doctors. 28 August 2013. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  12. 1 2 "AND1(R) Teams Up With SLAM magazine to pay tribute to Brooklyn Streetball and New York City Basketball Culture During NBA All-Star Weekend (NASDAQ:SQBG)". ir.sequentialbrandsgroup.com. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  13. ↑ "And 1 To Host Wellington March Madness Tournament | RESPECT". RESPECT. 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  14. ↑ "AND1 Announces TYBA 3-Session Circuit for 2016". SLAMonline. 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  15. ↑ "Kevin Garnett Talks New Role with AND1, Future Designs and Growing the Brand". AND1.com. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
  16. ↑ "Sequential Brands files for bankruptcy". August 31, 2021.
  17. ↑ "PE-backed Galaxy to acquire several brands from Sequential for $330m". PE Hub. 29 October 2021.
  18. ↑ Daryl Macon with the And-1! on Bleachreport
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