With the increasing success of the trash-talk tees, the iconic AND1 player logo was soon created. The player logo perfectly represented the DNA of AND1 as a true streetball brand.

In the words of Seth Berger, co-founder of AND1: “By shining a light on a game that lived in the shadows, streetball started shaping the basketball lifestyle. In the middle of the storm was the Player. The Player made it okay to talk trash as long as you could back it up.

The faceless and raceless icon gave ballers everywhere the confidence to take on all comers. He brought attitude back to the courts and swagger to the streets. The Player backed down to no one, and he wasn’t afraid to say it.”

In late 1998, a videotape containing streetball stunts was delivered to AND1 by a high school coach in New York. The low-quality video was a “mixtape” of hip-hop music and dazzling basketball moves by a streetballer named Rafer Alston.

Alston, who had just entered the 1998 NBA Draft.

A short while later, AND1 edited and reprinted 50,000 digital copies of Alston’s Mixtape and distributed them across America through basketball camps, clinics and record labels. The tape instantly became the buzz of the basketball world.

The videotape was later known as the "Skip Tape," referring to Alston's streetball nickname "Skip 2 My Lou." Alston, although not yet in the NBA, would soon sign with AND1.

In late 1998, a videotape containing streetball stunts was delivered to AND1 by a high school coach in New York. The low-quality video was a “mixtape” of hip-hop music and dazzling basketball moves by a streetballer named Rafer.

Alston, who had just entered the 1998 NBA Draft.

A short while later, AND1 edited and reprinted 50,000 digital copies of Alston’s Mixtape and distributed them across America through basketball camps, clinics and record labels. The tape instantly became the buzz of the basketball world.

The videotape was later known as the "Skip Tape," referring to Alston's streetball nickname "Skip 2 My Lou." Alston, although not yet in the NBA, would soon sign with AND1.