GameSpot at The And 1 Mix Tape Tour: Oakland

By Bob Colayco
Design by James Cheung

And1 Streetball Preview

While taking in the sights and sounds of the Mix Tape Tour stop in Oakland, Ubisoft was nice enough to also give us another peek at their upcoming And 1 Streetball video game. Get the full scoop in our new preview!

OAKLAND, CA--A throng of spectators surrounded the makeshift half-court, those in the back rows craning their necks to get a better glimpse of the action. The two players on the court were nameless--just a couple of guys who waited their turn in line to play some one-on-one. Clad in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, one of the players took the ball at the top of the arc and surveyed his defender, who pressed up close, determined not to give up an open outside shot. Sensing that the defensive player was in the perfect position for the trick, the ball handler picked up his dribble, wrapped the ball around his opponent's head, and then rolled it between his own legs and those of the other player.

The guy never had a chance. While the defender was backpedaling, he turned to look for the ball, but lost his balance and fell right on his ass while his man picked up the rock and blew by him to the rack. Did he finish the layup? It didn't really matter. What he did to his defender was already worth five dunks in the eyes of the crowd. Even before the offensive player got to the basket, several spectators from the front row had jumped onto the court, standing over the humiliated defender while pointing and laughing at him. He had committed one of street basketball's mortal sins: he had his ankles broken. Chagrined, he pulled himself up and melted back into anonymity in the crowd. Such is the way of streetball, where respect can be won and lost as fast as a crossover dribble. So what did the other man win? Money? A trophy? No...just the right to stay on the court and take on the next challenger.

And 1 Mix Tape Tour 2005

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Check out GameSpot Live on location at the Oakland Coliseum for the And 1 Mix Tape Tour.

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The And 1 Mix Tape Tour made its first stop this past Friday in Oakland, California. The confrontation above, which took place on a side court from the open run prior to the game, is just one example of the fun brand of basketball that the tour promotes. As the sponsor of the nation's premier streetball tournament, the plucky shoe company from Pennsylvania has built its brand largely on the names of the street basketball legends that it sponsors. These sponsored ballers take on players from locations all across the country, and in recent years, around the world. The popularity of the tour and its players was built largely on word of mouth, including the distribution of the "Mix Tapes," highlight reels that are chock-full of outrageous dunks, dribbling tricks, and in-your-face moves. This isn't the highly produced, genteel brand of basketball you know from watching college hoops and the NBA. In this brand of basketball, players are as likely to pick up the ball and begin dancing on the court as they are to throw the ball off your face, then blow by you and toss up an alley-oop to a high-flying teammate.

The Professor got the loudest ovation during player introductions in Oakland.

As the tour has grown, so has the exposure--tournaments are no longer held in the parks and school yards--they take place at NBA arenas and other facilities in order to hold the growing number of spectators. ESPN tasks a crew to follow the tournament and its players, televising each tour stop as a documentary-style episode in a recurring series. The players on the tour, who go by their blacktop monikers like "Spyda," "Main Event," "Syk Wit It," and the crowd-pleasing "Professor," are already household names to hardcore basketball fans. And now Ubisoft is publishing an And 1-branded streetball video game. Though there was another And 1 basketball video game released in the past, Ubisoft is hoping that this one will have the gameplay and authenticity to challenge the other major street basketball franchises on the market.

Since the first tour stop of the 2005 Mix Tape Tour was close by at the McAfee Arena in Oakland, we got a chance to head over there and get a firsthand taste of the Mix Tape Tour. Read on for a summary of the event!