Street basketball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Street basketball is a very popular spin-off of basketball, played worldwide by millions of people, males and females.
Street basketball players generally range in age from age 5 to 65. Children start playing the sport at a kindergarten level at some schools. And unlike professional basketball, a person's life as a street baller may span decades because the game requires little training and is played for fun. Street basketball also does not involve a rigorous schedule; participants may choose to play ten games in one day or one game in ten days. Usually only one side of the court is used, but otherwise the rules of the game are very similar to those of professional basketball. The number of participants in a game, or a run, may range from two - one defender and one attacker (known as one on one or mano-a-mano) - to two full teams of five each.
The skill of street basketball players also varies. Some of the cities most famous for their street basketball players are New York, Chicago, Oakland, Los Angeles, Miami, and Cleveland, although it is also said that there are good street players in Serbia, Germany, Israel, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Spain and Australia. Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks was discovered by Mavericks' coach Don Nelson while playing a game of street basketball during one of Nelson's trips to Germany. Shaquille O'Neal of the Miami Heat was also discovered while playing a street game in Germany, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Army.
The games are played very hard, and players are sometimes injured. It requires grit and resolve because players are often trying to impress the small crowds gathered around the court to watch, particularly spectators of the opposite sex. Certain professional leagues prohibit their players from engaging in this social activity to avoid the risk of injury. Since fould are called by the players, games often get slightly out of hand. Sometimes when players are fouled, their team fouls the initial offender as a kind of revenge. But the games usually stay in control if there are enough people to credit or discredit someones foul call.
Street basketball has also become popular because of the And 1 Mix Tapes. A group of street basketball players from New York started traveling the United States to play against local street ballers. Everything was taped and the players tried to embarrass opponents by dribbling the basketball through their legs or bouncing it off their heads. Now the And 1 Mix Tapes Tour has turned into a popular television show on ESPN that follows the life of these players as they travel around making the tapes. All of the players have street names that they use as aliases. Some of the most popular players on the tour include Skip to My Lou, Hot Sauce, 50, Shane the Dribbling Machine, Half Man Half Amazing, AO, Alimoe, and The Professor. Skip to My Lou, whose real name is Rafer Alston, no longer participates in the And 1 Mix Tape Tour; he now plays for the NBA's Houston Rockets.
A popular variation of street basketball is the 21 game. "21" is played most often with 3-9 players on a half court and is a "one against all" game with much looser rules than even streetball. Rules are fluid, often differing regionally or even by court. A very challenging game, it is popular because it allows an odd number of people to play, unlike regular basketball or other variants.
Street basketball is a very popular game worldwide, and a fun way for young people to keep out of trouble and avoid problems such as juvenile crime and drugs.
Some government agencies have turned to street basketball in an attempt to curb the streetcrime and vandalism often committed by disadvantaged youths. The games, sponsored by government programs like midnight basketball, are usually scheduled on weekend nights when such crime is most likely.
