It’s June 23, we’re in Coney Island, New York, and Samuel L. In Jackson’s words: “I have today’s forecast. Hot! But in the sweltering heat of this Sunday afternoon, in the shade of trees and buildings overlooking the streets of Brooklyn from hundreds of feet above, people lined the court for a chance to compete in AND1’s Open Run Tour.
Hosted by AND1 as they continue to push the envelope of streetball, the Open Run Tour was full of high jumps and hard hitting crossovers. In addition to the classic five-on-five matchups, the event included a dunk contest, electric duels, shootouts and women’s three-on-three. Bringing back some of the OG mixtape legends as judges, Open Run created an atmosphere and energy that is in stark contrast to that of the league; it is physical, expressive and most importantly requires a completely different mindset.
“It’s a physical thing, but I think it’s also a mental thing. I think with streetball as well as the NBA, you have to have a lot of mental toughness, you know.” says AND1 Brand Director Dexter Gordon. “It’s not blood, no dirt. It toughens you up and that’s all. … You’re going to get knocked down, the fans are going to talk trash. … You crash, (but) you know what, you learn a lot.”
Since the days of Julius Erving and Wilt Chamberlain at Rucker Park, New York City has been the Mecca of street ball. Parks are where hip-hop meets basketball, where people come together through the power of sports. And while many will immediately think of Rucker Park when they hear the word “streetball,” it’s Coney Island that holds a special place in the hearts of many, including AND1. “It’s just good to be back in the community. The first (NBA ambassador) we ever signed, Stephon Marbury, was born and raised in Coney Island,” Gordon says. While the story of Marbury and his inaugural AND1 signature sneaker was felt from afar, another Coney Island native and longtime member of the AND1 family, Lance Stevenson, hit the ground running.
And in the decades since its humble origins in the parks of New York City, streetball has forever permeated basketball culture. Not only for what happened in court. Shane “The Dribbling Machine” Woney, Leaky Roof, Whit3 Iverson, The Pharmacist, Skip 2 My Lou, Aaron “AO” Owens, Duke Tango and Hot Sauce, who have sold tens of thousands of mixtapes, racked up millions of views on YouTube, and left a mark on each on the streetball event they attend, including this year’s Open Run at Coney Island, but also off the court. Whether it’s two hoodies, high socks, or baggy shorts, these fashion sensibilities had 00s hip-hop and NBA circles regularly rocking the infamous AND1 aesthetic.
Still, a lot can change in over a decade, and it’s not like the basketball landscape has changed radically in a post-Mixtape Tour world. Dexter Gordon sums up the feeling by saying: “We really started the mixtape, but now look every kid has a mixtape.” And when everyone else is playing catch-up, you have to stay one step ahead.
But Gordon isn’t too concerned with adapting to the age of social media; exactly the opposite. “As big as AND1 was in the 90s and early 2000s, think about this. there was no social media. But we still reached other countries with the Mixtape Tour and VHS mixtapes, and then they went to DVDs, but now it’s all online,” says Gordon. “So I think social media is a great tool, you know?”
Looking forward, AND1 is walking a balancing act of sorts, introducing streetball to a new generation of fans while maintaining its decorated roots. “We will never stop celebrating our past, our heritage, our culture. … (But) going forward, we have to meet young children where they are. So, of course, some things have to change, (and) you have to adapt to what’s going on,” Gordon says. And that starts with finding new talent to represent the culture, one of the key additions being current Globetrotter and former national champion Alexis Morris, AND1’s first female athlete.
This is not just basketball. it’s about building community and empowering. And nothing captures that better than street ball.
When asked about the impact “Open Run” has had off the court, Dexter Gordon had a lot in mind, whether it was the appreciation people showed for the OG Mixtape Legends or the young NBA players telling Hot Memories of watching Sauce. But one stood above the rest. “We were going into communities and, you know, on that day and time of that incident, man, there was no violence. You had gang members, guys that had beef with each other, that would hang out in this park (and play ball).
Portraits of Evan Bernstein.
