This 'politically correct' relationship versus the coolest is very curious and strange, and in the case of basketball, which is also the case when we see the behavior of professional leagues when it comes to street basketball. In the case of the NBA, a considerable share of its players, before becoming professionals, played street basketball, and it’s only natural to have such references, like different moves, a crossover, a pass or unusual assist, moves which were very significant at some point in their careers - And this has a lot to do with the creativity of each individual, notably the tricks inherited from the street that many may not have.
Known in professional basketball as Rafer Alston and in the streets of New York as 'Skip To My Lou', this guy was mainly responsible for spreading and popularizing streetball in the world with his offensive, creative and very peculiar way of playing which had never been seen before. Born in Queens, Alson was a student and athlete at ‘Benjamin Cardozo High School’, under the command of renowned coach, Ron Naclério, considered to be one of the heavy weights for spotting new talents.
Years later he was responsible for the player's entry on the And 1 Mixtape Tour by sending a videotape with numerous of his improbable game moves. At that time, the player had already ‘taken off’ and was featured in Slam Magazine 1997, being recognized as the best point guard in the world representing the ‘Fresno Bulldogs’, at his university team, Fresno State.
For those unfamiliar with the event, the And 1 Mixtape Tour became very popular between the 90s and 2000s, for promoting demonstration games and street basketball tournaments in several American cities and also worldwide. Formed by Main Event, The Professor, Hot Sauce, Spyda, 50, AO and Skip To My Lou, the unbeatable team from And 1 challenged the local team with the intention of finding the next street basketball legend - Brazil was the destination of the team in one of his appearances. Organized by the representative And 1 Brasil, the Brazilian tour featured a weekend with lots of basketball in the gyms and parks in the city of São Paulo.
Rafer Alston of And 1 called the attention of the NBA, where he would be the 39th choice in the second round of the 1998 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and soon was traded to the Toronto Raptors.
Sports criticism regarded him merely as a standard player coming from street basketball with no major attractiveness, but he had the chance to prove the opposite by working hard even as a Bucks bench player and later at the Toronto Raptors when he got traded. Although he was a little more restrained since he was not always able to use his assets from the street on the court, but Rafer was gaining more respect and his own space.
Already playing for the Miami Heat in the 2003-2004 season, Rafer Alston, had a much more expressive scenario. Having participated in 82 games, the player averaged 10.2 points, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals.
Between 2005 and 2008, Alson marked his presence at the Houston Rockets, where he averaged 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He would be ninth in the league for steals, fourth for three-point shots and 23rd for assists. In 2009 at the Orlando Magic, Alston contributed to the team's second appearance in an NBA final.
Throughout his 11 seasons in the league, he has not only continued to represent street basketball, but also changed both the perception and concept that those who come from the same background cannot deliver in a professional league.
