It’s been about 15 years since Duke Tango, the legendary voice of the AND1 Mixtape Tour, last brought streetball fans his one-of-a-kind, on-court, in-game commentary. Countless “Ay, yo!” remarks after a nice move. The classic “Oh, baby!” response after a big play.
AND1 made braggadocious talk, showmanship and sublime ballhandling mainstream. With the company’s officially celebrating its 30th anniversary Sunday, Tango (born Thomas Mills) is excited for the people who made his time on the tour special.
“The fans, the fans,” Tango said. “Giving the fans what they want. Making them come to the arena, making them leave happy — or you come in happy, you leave happier.”
AND1 as a global product, on and off the basketball court, did more than make fans happy. It made an impact on the sport that is still felt by many. It made wearing “Trash Talk” T-shirts fashionable. It challenged basketball shoe powers like Nike, Adidas and even Reebok and Fila. It made streetball legends famous internationally. It also brought flashy on-court play to a new audience in the 1990s and normalized it for modern-day audiences.
AND1 brought back its famous open runs last month as part of its 30th-anniversary celebration. The company also is using its “Paint the Park” initiative to upgrade courts around the country.
Thirty years of existence is something Dexter Gordon doesn’t take for granted. Gordon, the brand director for Galaxy Universal, the parent company for AND1, has worked with AND1 for more than a decade and believes the influence of the company cannot be understated, as the culture became part of the basketball world beyond AND1 tours. The style and swagger infiltrated the NBA game.
“I always say AND1 and those mixtape players should be in the basketball Hall of Fame,” Gordon said. “They changed the culture, from everything with how they dressed, how they played the game, the mixtapes, the (tour) bus, the trash-talk tees. The brand and those mixtape players change the culture, and they should be included in the hall of fame, period.”
AND1’s story stems from Seth Berger, Jay Coen Gilbert and Tom Austin, three University of Pennsylvania graduate students who designed T-shirts that included slogans heard in pickup basketball games. The shirts appropriately were marketed as “Trash Talk” tees.
“What made them popular was they were synonymous of what was going on at the time: a lot of playground ball, a lot of trash talking, a lot of players trying to not only hone their skills but solidify their name and their game in selected parks and cities,” said Rafer Alston, known to AND1 and the streetball world as “Skip To My Lou,” before, during and even after an 11-year career in the NBA. “It was the perfect storm at the right time. It was what we were all thinking about saying or doing at the time.”
Y’all don’t know how ???? these and1 shirts were in the early 2000’s???? pic.twitter.com/rX3maUemTs
— Hoop Fiends ???????? (@hoopfiends) March 21, 2021
Among the multiple shirt slogans:
- “I’m sorry. I thought you could play.”
- “What’s wrong? Momma forget to pack your game?”
- “Pass. Save yourself the embarrassment.”
- “I’m the bus driver. I take everyone to school.”
“Growing up in New York City playing streetball and basketball, trash talking was part of the game. That could really throw you off your game,” said AND1 Mixtape Tour star Shane Woney, better known as “Shane the Dribbling Machine” because of the way he handled the basketball and frustrated defenders. “You shoot an airball, somebody might just start yelling at you, and everybody’s laughing — and these were the OGs, these weren’t even the younger guys. I mean, former pros and guys like that.
“I don’t remember all of the (T-shirt) sayings, but some of my favorites were super disrespectful.”
The shirts, featuring the logo of a muscular, faceless, shirtless player wearing baller shorts, were marketed everywhere in 1993, but it was the streetball scene where sporting them made the most sense. Three years later, AND1 added to its apparel movement by designing and launching its first pair of shoes.
Stephon Marbury, then with the Minnesota Timberwolves, was the brand’s first NBA ambassador and first wore the shoe in the league.
From there, AND1 took off. The NBA and streetball cultures meshed.
“Back in the day, 40 percent of the NBA used to wear AND1, and they were all not signed. They just wanted to be part of that movement,” Gordon said. “I mean, you had guys getting AND1 tattoos. It just meant something to them.”
In 1998, AND1 received a grainy, low-quality video — a mixtape featuring a young, talented point guard who made exciting move after move. He almost pranced when he orchestrated a fast break. It was streetball at its finest.
The ballhandler’s name: Rafer Alston. He earned the “Skip To My Lou” nickname from Tango while playing on the streetball courts. That videotape would soon be known as the “Skip tape.” AND1 edited and reprinted 50,000 copies in 1999, and it became the company’s first basketball mixtape.
“I didn’t have any idea about the direction the tape was going and how it would capture the hearts and minds of everyone,” Alston said. “Everything was happening so fast. We were ascending into rock-star status. We were just going about our business, going to different cities, putting on these shows and giving the fans a time to remember.
“But it all started from the first tape, and to this day, people still have a love affair for that tape.”
The AND1 mixtapes became a cultural phenomenon in the early 2000s. Mixtapes in the earlier distribution days were given as a gift to those who purchase AND1 products. Roughly 200,000 of the Skip tapes were distributed in three weeks.
Magic Johnson is one of the greatest and flashiest passers of all time, but he was often viewed as a showman in the 1980s, someone who made a pass pretty when it didn’t have to be. Moves and actions from the mixtapes of the 2000s, however, began finding their natural places in the NBA. Allen Iverson’s crossover dribbles. Jason “White Chocolate” Williams’ handles and incredible passes. Kevin Garnett’s dunks and bravado. What was seen in streetball became commonplace in the world’s most respected professional basketball league.
Woney said it was a weird feeling at first — almost like “more of a scam” — to have so many people watching the tapes, considering they were professional basketball players at the time. But once business picked up, streetballers were being eyeballed similarly to movie stars. More importantly, NBA players were taking notice.
“Most of them were passionate because they come from where we come from,” Woney said of the NBA players. “Where they played, it was totally structured, but to see guys out there playing totally free, it was almost as if we were saying what they couldn’t say.”
Lisa Schein is the senior vice president of brand development and marketing for Galaxy Universal. Though she has several reasons to love the brand, her all-time favorite AND1 memory came in 2000.
It involved a dunk contest in Oakland, Calif., and an incredible leaper wearing red and white AND1 Tai Chi shoes.
“For me, and it was personal, it was the Vince Carter slam dunk contest,” Schein said.
Vince Carter competing in the 2000 NBA slam dunk contest wearing AND1 Tai Chi shoes. (Andy Hayt / NBAE via Getty Images)
Carter’s performance was one of the greatest — if not the greatest — in NBA slam dunk contest history. His first dunk was a 360 windmill. The second was a windmill in which he started behind the backboard. The third was a between-the-legs special off a bounce from teammate and cousin Tracy McGrady.
The fourth dunk mesmerized the Oakland crowd, as Carter put his entire forearm in the rim. His fifth and final dunk was a safer one compared with the others — a two-handed jam from just inside the free-throw line.
Carter’s footwear made that night even sweeter. As someone getting out of a Puma deal, Carter, just before signing a new deal with Nike, tried a few new shoes for comfort. He chose to wear the AND1 Tai Chi for the dunk contest.
“I was aware of the brand in its earlier times, but that dunk contest … it was out of nowhere, so iconic, so unexpected,” Schein said. “It catapulted the brand and the product into the Hall of Fame product we think it should be. It really cemented our history.”
Until 2008, the AND1 Mixtape Tour was a streetball mainstay. Some of the greatest nicknames ever said on a mic by Tango — “Hot Sauce,” “The Professor,” “Main Event,” “Escalade,” “50,” “Half Man, Half Amazing” and many others — became household names as they toured cities that started in the United States but branched out to more than 30 countries.
Tango was one of the trendsetters for streetball in-game emcees. Many tournaments in and around New York City now have local celebrities attempting to give Tango-like energy for their audiences.
But very few could introduce a player — and keep that player relevant — like Tango.
“The nicknames he gave us were important to the success of all of us,” Alston said. “Who would have ever thought that Duke gave us a nickname and it would be with us the rest of our lives?
“Some of us became legendary guys because of our nicknames. I remember going to the park, and before you even got to the park, you can hear him on the microphone down the block. You just knew it was a special, big-time game going on with him there.”
(Steve Grayson / Getty Images)
Under Galaxy Universal, which bought AND1 in 2011, the idea was to reignite the product but with more of a grassroots perspective. AND1 had a couple of owners before Galaxy, but Galaxy is looking to bring back some of the things that made AND1 so attractive. The return of streetball runs is an example.
From T-shirts and apparel, to mixtapes and tours, to impactful community service, AND1’s brand stays alive. It’s found a home at Walmart stores, where shoes and clothing are available for those looking for quality gear without paying high prices.
To Schein, it’s all about staying relevant.
“Thirty years is pretty iconic,” Schein added. “We are approaching it not only as a celebration but as a way to reintroduce the brand to a younger generation that’s not as familiar with us. It means a lot to us that we’ve been around that long. It shows tremendous customer loyalty. If you mention AND1 to people who grew up around it, you immediately see their faces light up. There’s a connection there.”
That connection was due largely to the players on the tour. They weren’t NBA stars, but they did things on the court that players of all ages and levels tried to emulate.
Alston spent time in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and New Jersey Nets. He reached the NBA Finals with the Magic in 2009. But there’s still a generation that knows him as “Skip To My Lou.” His AND1 style reached so many fans.
The apparel jump-started the brand, but the mixtapes and tours not only became AND1’s bread and butter but also created many global stars. Woney dazzled audiences at Rucker Park way before AND1. Waliyy “Main Event” Dixon played at Rutgers and helped develop the first AND1 game and tour. Philip “Hot Sauce” Champion became a star through his ability to embarrass defenders with his ballhandling. Aaron “AO” Owens threw some of the best alley-oops in all levels of basketball.
Grayson “The Professor” Boucher earned his way onto the tour in 2003 and has transformed a very popular streetball lifestyle into appearances in movies, most recently “Hustle,” starring Adam Sandler. Anthony “Half Man, Half Amazing” Heyward earned his nickname when Tango saw him dunk on a man twice his size.
And let’s never forget Antoine “Flash” Howard, Troy “Escalade” Jackson or Tyron “Alimoe” Evans. Howard was a South Side Chicago phenom who befriended the New York-heavy AND1 roster and impressed with his leaping ability for a player standing only 6 feet tall. He died of complications with a brain tumor in 2004. He was 28 years old.
Jackson, nicknamed after the Cadillac luxury SUV, was the younger brother of basketball commentator and former NBA point guard Mark Jackson. He stood 6 feet 10 and was listed at 375 pounds, but he had incredible handles and threw some of the prettiest passes on the tour. Escalade died of hypertensive heart disease in 2011. He was 38 years old.
Evans was called “Alimoe,” but he had another nickname: “The Black Widow.” He was a 6-foot-7 point guard whom many believed had the talent to make it to the NBA. He could dribble, pass, shoot and defend — and he appeared to do it all with minimal effort. He died of complications with diabetes in 2013. He was 37 years old.
AND1 now is looking for its next generation of streetball players with its open runs. Tango said the key to success is tapping into the new generation — similar to how the legends did it 30 years ago.
“The little kids, they’re going to see it. They’re going to want to be a part of it,” Tango said. “That’s what I’m trying to tell my people. Let’s get these little kids involved. Our thing is a family thing, and I love it.”
A little bit everything that made up a big thing ☄️#and1life #and1openrunnyc #and1openrun #and1 pic.twitter.com/5xGP7idNFk
— AND1 Basketball (@and1basketball) August 8, 2023
And what draws the young fans in? It’s what they see on the court. The stars of tomorrow cannot be duplicated. Tango said the next wave of players has to be ready to live up to what the originals brought to the game.
“Those guys were amazing,” Tango said. “As we come back, these guys better be super good, because that first AND1 team was just like the USA Dream Team with Magic Johnson: You will never see a team like that again.”
As for the brand itself, Gordon said AND1 wants to be around another 30 years but will accept growth on a year-by-year basis. AND1 hopes to continue its partnership with Walmart, as it is proud that it can sell quality apparel to families for affordable prices. Gordon is happy that AND1 found and maintained a niche by meshing basketball with hip-hop, particularly with this year’s being the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. In addition to making great mixtapes, AND1 was able to showcase a lot of new hip-hop artists in the 2000s.
Evolution is now the goal for AND1. It has built a cultural resume of success for three decades, and the goal is to continue giving its fans, past and present, what they want.
“It’s humbling just to have a brand,” Gordon said. “You’re celebrating 30 years and celebrating the fans who have been with you to have that longevity. You had your peaks and your lows, but it’s a blessing. We’re proud. A 30th-year anniversary … you sit back and just say, ‘Wow.’”
Schein added: “This is just the first 30. We’ve got a lot more work ahead of us.”
— The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson contributed to this report.
(Top photo: Steve Grayson / WireImage via Getty Images)
