The Story
With the attitude and mindset of a rogue general, many said he was untouchable. He probably agrees. What no one can deny is his athletic ability and court vision. Waliyy Dixon is like few players of the decade; he is a basketball player that was able to back up and live up to his nickname, “ Main Event.”
He was born and raised in Linden, New Jersey, a small city across the river from New York City. “Main Event” has a talent and charisma that earned him basketball scholarships to Division 1 universities and a spot to play at the legendary street basketball court, “The Rucker.” Most basketball players can’t live in both worlds; Waliyy needed to choose between the two.
Waliyy can tell it best, the decision to not conform was harder than breaking down on court defenses. He played their game as long as he could. Waliyy eventually got an opportunity to try out for the NJ Nets.
He destroyed any and all competition at the NJ Nets practice facility. Most players were expected to take the contract, but Waliyy saw something much bigger. “Main Event” went on to create the most entertaining basketball tour the world had ever seen, the And 1 Mixtape Tour.
Remarkably in the era before social media, Waliyy and his fellow streetballers were able to captivate the world with the And 1 Mixtape Streetball Tour Series. The genius lies in how they were able to change the perspective of how Streetballers were viewed. The rejects and wasted talent became the role models and basketball’s most inspirational players. While the millionaires in the league ruled the basketball universe from fall through the spring, summer belonged to the streetballers. The popularity grew beyond the USA, branching out globally.
And1 Streetball was intended to be as authentic as possible; their new signature style of play took cues from streetball culture. For the original six And 1 players, importance was placed on ensuring flash, while respecting the structure of traditional basketball. Waliyy Dixon and his hand-picked squad of six streetball elite were out to capitalize on the opportunity and leapfrog High School and college, to play NBA basketball or even international leagues.
“We didn’t care about popularity, or TV, or money,” says The Dribbling Machine. “We just wanted to prove that New York City had some of the best talent, even better than the NBA. The goal was to open up doors for guys to make it to the NBA, or make it overseas.”
After the retirement of Michael Jordan, arguably the game’s all-time best player, fans were looking for the next phase of Basketball. A window opened for AND 1, as Waliyy boldly stated, “The timing was perfect. ”
“What most people do not realize is that it was never And 1. And 1 was just supposed to be the sponsor of the tour — not the team,” said Waliyy Dixon. However, the tour was so successful that people took hold of the name And 1 and turned an apparel company into a streetball association. And of course, realizing this, the owners ran with the opportunity to create business deals that created over 4 Billion dollars in revenue.
Twenty years ago, AND 1 became a globally recognized brand that made streetball a massively successful venture. Part Documentary Part Legendary… Watch Waliyy “Main Event” Dixon tell his story of the real hoop dream.
This is a story of positivity, strength, premier athleticism, and teamwork. The streetball players that came together with these ingredients created magic! It inspired a young generation of boys and girls to begin their life’s journey, searching for something far better than where they were at that moment, in their lives. Now more than ever, the world needs this magical inspiration!
The extensive experience of Mr. Waliyy Dixon, AKA “The Main Event” was the single reason to believe in a successful expansion of AND1 from a million-dollar brand to a billion dollar brand. The investment paid off big time and the AND1 brand kings of streetball drove their viewership to incredible heights in a flash surpassing that of the corporate giant, The NBA; and they did it with lightspeed in a world where social media was unfathomable and the world wide web was merely an aquaintance. Waliyy’s ideas and ability to implement the plan gave AND1 its success; his infectious passion and character gave it a purpose.
The And1 idols fueled the tour that carried streetball onto a grand stage and they earned their monikers capturing the hearts of millions of diehard fans pounding the pavement with their fierce talent and grit. They were featured by ESPN, Sports Illustrated and in their own video game and say their product continues to represent the best and most entertaining aspects of the game. Their authentic drive to be the best for themselves and create something great to be a part of.
Waliyy Dixon, having never lost his fire for the game of basketball nor his determination to motivate his communities to strive for better and elevate their youth, is now on the comeback with explosive resolve sparking the next wave of inspiration and hope for our future with the release of the “Bigger than the Brand” Documentary.
Join the cause and let’s explore how you can share your brand with the world in one strategic move in this hot new documentary and inspire millions to hurdle any obstacles that stand in the way of their dreams, become part of the movement.
Street Ball Courts Around The World
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I always followed And1 and I was also pleased to see you here in Brazil.
-Claudio_Cardoso
“Our international tour, when we first got to Japan. Oh my goodness, it was big. It was a sea of fans, all outside and waiting on us. It’s a moment that I will never forget.”
– “Prime Objective”
I’m from Caserta Italy and im still watching your mixed tapes.
-@migliaccioantonio
Holcombe Rucker Park
Adelaide, Australia
Brisbane, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Perth, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Toronto, Canada
Vancouver, Canada
Santiago, Chile
Valdivia, Chile
Barranquilla, Colombia
Bogota, Colombia
Medellin, Colombia
Denmark
Fiji
France
Honduras
Frankfurt, Germany
Hamburg, Germany
Milan, Italy
Rome, Italy
Osaka, Japan
Auckland, New Zealand
Mexico
Philippines
Belgrade, Serbia
Barcelona, Spain
Caracas, Venezuela
The Story Continues…
Stay tuned for news and information about our upcoming 2022 Blacktop Street Ball Mixtape Tour!
Blacktop StreetBall Association
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