Rafer Alston - Streetball Legend

Streetball Legend

Alston grew up in Jamaica, Queens, New York and was a standout streetball basketball player, known for his untraditional moves which made him particularly adept at getting past ("breaking down") defenders while dribbling the ball. He was the inspiration in many ways for the AND1 Mixtape Tour—a low-quality, jerky 1999 videotape of Alston's extreme playground moves, featuring helter-skelter crossover and other fast dribble moves faking out defenders, attracted a great deal of attention among players and basketball fans. These unique moves became Alston's signature, and in fact, his nickname "Skip 2 My Lou" comes from one of the moves. As the video began to circulate (some can be seen on AND1 Mixtape Volume 1), other non-NBA players began to contribute their own moves and highlights, and eventually the AND1 Live Tour (originally the AND1 Mixtape Tour) developed from that beginning.

He played basketball under coach Gregory Adams at St. Jerome School in Bronx, New York. He also played under famous high school coach Ron Naclerio at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Queens, New York. Naclerio is credited with circulating the Alston tape and getting it in the hands of AND1 staff.