Remembering the And1 Era

[Rake2204]

I had not realized how quickly this brand had dropped off until I heard their name mentioned in another thread here. Is there now a defined "And1 Era" of general basketball history? What years do you believe it spanned?

Unfortunately, I must admit my And1 days began way back around 1994, when Eastbay used to plug an endless stream of And1 catch phrase t-shirts in every one of their catalogs. Being in 4th or 5th grade at the time, I thought they were neat. So I developed a small collection of shirts like this:



On my first day of 6th grade, I beat an overweight (though contentious) classmate in a game of 1-on-1. After game point, I broke into a strut and said something like, "Read the shirt, man. Read the shirt." The back of my And1 tee read: "I'm sorry, I thought you could play."



Any thoughts on And1's demise or their once somewhat pretty good empire?

[gasolina]

And1 reminded me of stephon marbury. They had an awesome ad that on steph being in the playoffs. It was a big thing that steph was the only top rookie playing in the postseason.

Of course, they were the edgy brand then. Cant remember who else they endorsed. I think what killed the smaller brands was nike and adi buying converse and reebok. Converted them to low-end shoes. Sucks to have the big players controlling the niche market too.

Was monta ellis their last athlete?

[franchise#3]

I still have some And1 sneakers somewhere.

[QuebecBaller]

I still have some And1 sneakers somewhere.

I still wear mine

[Rake2204]

And1 reminded me of stephon marbury. They had an awesome ad that on steph being in the playoffs. It was a big thing that steph was the only top rookie playing in the postseason.

Of course, they were the edgy brand then. Cant remember who else they endorsed. I think what killed the smaller brands was nike and adi buying converse and reebok. Converted them to low-end shoes. Sucks to have the big players controlling the niche market too.

Was monta ellis their last athlete?

Yup, I remember when Marbury came aboard. I was trying to be a trendsetter back then and bought what I believe was one of the first pairs of And1 shoes (in 1997). The top half was white, the bottom black. In retrospect, they kind of looked like extra broke versions of the Jordan XII. Marbury wore them at one point or another but I feel like he had a signature shoe with And 1, and the pair I had wasn't them.

I think one of the real breakthroughs (prior to the mixtape revolution) came when Latrell Sprewell jumped on board. Anyone recall the American Dream ad campaign? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6DYYh5f2sg

[neilio23]

I watch And1 Mixtape Vol 1 at least once a month. Awesome music, and fun to watch Skip. The good ol' days...

[DaHeezy]

Don't know why people hate on it so much. It's a novelty and it's still going on today. Take it for what it is: entertainment

[Rake2204]

I watch And1 Mixtape Vol 1 at least once a month. Awesome music, and fun to watch Skip. The good ol' days...

That had to be one of the last bastions of exclusivity, as far as mythical video footage goes. I remember short, cryptic commercials popping up here and there, showing a glimpse of some of the nastiest basketball plays I'd ever seen (occurring on outdoor courts via home video). Then I remember hearing the full mixtape was given to only those who bought a pair of And 1's from Foot Locker or something. Some people were lucky enough to have seen it, most not. For someone who did not grow up in a basketball mecca like New York, seeing that streetball footage was a revelation at the time. It was borderline sensory overload in terms of what I thought was possible on a basketball court and what I'd never even imagined.

Of course now, that mixtape would have been leaked to YouTube even prior to the commercial being aired.

[chosen_one6]

I remember buying a pair of $120 Kevin Garnett And 1 shoes...felt like boats on my feet though.

[stax]

Don't know why people hate on it so much. It's a novelty and it's still going on today. Take it for what it is: entertainment

Because courts were suddenly full of corny douchebags who thought it was the greatest thing ever to bounce the ball off the defenders head (then proceed to throw an obligatory brick from 25 feet)

[Rake2204]

Because courts were suddenly full of corny douchebags who thought it was the greatest thing ever to bounce the ball off the defenders head (then proceed to throw an obligatory brick from 25 feet)

Between 1999 and 2004, I guarantee there was a dramatic 30,000% increase in streetball incidents related to or directly involving players attempting to bounce the ball off an opponent's face only to accidentally throw it three times too hard and less off the head and more off the nose, thus resulting in frequent stoppages of play featuring this exchange:

"Dude, what the hell!?"
"Dude, I'm totally sorry. That's not what I was trying to. . ."
"Dude, what were you. . ."
"Dude chill I'm sorry."

[DaHeezy]

Because courts were suddenly full of corny douchebags who thought it was the greatest thing ever to bounce the ball off the defenders head (then proceed to throw an obligatory brick from 25 feet)

And they lost, so what's the big deal. It's not like everygame some And1 wannabe is pulling those stunts.
It's harmless fun. If you're losing to these guys, maybe you Should leave the court

[Rake2204]

And they lost, so what's the big deal. It's not like everygame some And1 wannabe is pulling those stunts.
It's harmless fun. If you're losing to these guys, maybe you Should leave the court

Personally, my biggest issue was playing on the same team as those guys, not against them. There's one fellow in particular I remember. He lived that And1 life to the fullest. Completely upper-middle-class, non-urban with no style and limited basketball skill who dreamed he was precisely not what he was. He'd regularly hold 35-second stationary crossover clinics ending with him being forced to pick up his dribble and looking to pass so he could get the ball right back and continue his mixtape exhibition.

We had methods of avoidance. We wouldn't let him bring the ball up the court. We'd try to avoid swinging the ball his way in the course of the offense. But the most frustrating thing I remember about his game were those moments where he'd stumble upon a defensive rebound and he'd eye me streaking into the open floor. In every other walk of life, it'd have been a chest pass and breakaway dunk.

With this guy, we'd make eye contact and I'd already know what was going to happen next. He'd fake the chest pass then opt to cuff the ball and throw a one-handed, look-away, underhand float pass, like he was bowling but with the trajectory of a jump shot. That'd turn my rare chance to dunk into a impromptu game of "500". And if I was fortunate to come down with the rock, it was much too late to make a move to the hoop.

And obviously, true to his kind, he couldn't take any sort of criticism. If someone said anything, the entire game would devolve into some horrible back and forth where he'd then dominate the ball 3 times harder than he did before. You're right though, as horrible as he was to have as a teammate, he was a joy to play against.

[DaHeezy]

Personally, my biggest issue was playing on the same team as those guys, not against them. There's one fellow in particular I remember. He lived that And1 life to the fullest. Completely upper-middle-class, non-urban with no style and limited basketball skill who dreamed he was precisely not what he was. He'd regularly hold 35-second stationary crossover clinics ending with him being forced to pick up his dribble and looking to pass so he could get the ball right back and continue his mixtape exhibition.

We had methods of avoidance. We wouldn't let him bring the ball up the court. We'd try to avoid swinging the ball his way in the course of the offense. But the most frustrating thing I remember about his game were those moments where he'd stumble upon a defensive rebound and he'd eye me streaking into the open floor. In every other walk of life, it'd have been a chest pass and breakaway dunk.

With this guy, we'd make eye contact and I'd already know what was going to happen next. He'd fake the chest pass then opt to cuff the ball and throw a one-handed, look-away, underhand float pass, like he was bowling but with the trajectory of a jump shot. That'd turn my rare chance to dunk into a impromptu game of "500". And if I was fortunate to come down with the rock, it was much too late to make a move to the hoop.

And obviously, true to his kind, he couldn't take any sort of criticism. If someone said anything, the entire game would devolve into some horrible back and forth where he'd then dominate the ball 3 times harder than he did before. You're right though, as horrible as he was to have as a teammate, he was a joy to play against.

You what I did when I played with them?
I yelled: "Quit showboating and pass the faulking ball!"

They cut that shyt out immediately.

[Rake2204]

You what I did when I played with them?
I yelled: "Quit showboating and pass the faulking ball!"

They cut that shyt out immediately.
I

Sometimes that might work, but in this case it did not. As I alluded, direct criticism only made things worse. I'd say something like that, then he'd snip back and attempt to freeze me out while I attempted to freeze him out. Then if I made a mistake he'd let me hear about it. Then before you know it, the game has devolved into an unplayable mess. So then the next time, everyone tries to play it cool with that guy for the sake of the game. And eventually, it's just something folks learn to kind of live with to the best of their abilities.

Basically, I'm 6'3'' 170. Nothing I say is going to seriously intimidate a fellow adult on the basketball court. Further, my region was never one that believed in physical street justice, so we're usually left to attempt to solve matters in a civilized manner and often, it wouldn't work well. And1 guys would And1 through thick and thin. It was an uncontrollable tick. It was an addiction. We all had to work through it together.