In the early 2000’s, the And1 Mixtape Tour took street basketball mainstream. Playground legends turned into TV stars. The traveling circuit went city to city, showcasing an entertaining brand of basketball that was akin to the Harlem Globetrotters, but infinitely cooler for my generation.
The stars on ESPN2 and the Street Hoops video game (which was fine, but not as good as NBA Street) were simply known by their nicknames — Escalade, Skip to my Lou, the Professor, Highrizer and Helicopter were some of the best. The best of the best was Phillip Champion, a.