Happy birthday, Jimmy Alapag! (belated greetings)

[And1 Baller Birthday – 12.31.11] – Happy birthday, Jimmy Alapag! (belated greetings)

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 
Images: Various sources

Mighty Mouse aka Jimmy Alapag of the PBA Talk N Text team turned 34 yesterday, born December 30, 1977.  Known in the PBA for his court leadership, fiery passion, and pure basketball talent, Alapag is highly popular to PBA fans because of his amazing passes, dagger threes, and clutch point production.  He is a perennial PBA All Star Game selection,  multi-titled PBA champion (with two Finals MVP awards), and a Most Valuable Player awardee (2010-2011).

Over the course of his illustrious PBA career, Jimmy has rocked And1 shoes and has even worn a couple of pairs as a member of the Philippine National team.  Now that’s what I call international exposure.

Jimmy Alapag’s in-game highlights can be viewed by clicking HERE, and I’m proud to have met him in person on a number of occasions already (not afraid to admit that I’m a huge fan of his game).  You can follow him on Twitter (@jalapag3) and check out the pics below of the Mighty Mouse wearing And1 shoes for Team Pilipinas.

From everybody here at And1 Ph, HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JIMMY ALAPAG!

Jimmy A gracing the opening ceremonies of the Smart Barkadahan Basketball Tournament in 2008. 

I'm wearing an And1 headband here.

Happy 36th birthday, Jason Williams!

[And1 Baller Birthday – 11.18.11] – Happy 36th birthday, Jason Williams!

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls

Images: Various (NBA / Gettyimages / And1.com)

Tsokolate Blanco aka Jason Williams gets to blow his birthday cake today as he turns 36, born November 18, 1975. One of the NBA’s most electrifying players during his 12-year NBA career, Williams is best known for his dazzling passes, pull-up threes, and a very “streetball” style of play. He is a one-time NBA champion, winning it all with the Miami Heat back in the 2005-2006 season against the Dallas Mavericks.

Jason has worn a lot of And1 shoes during his stint with the Memphis Grizzlies (after being traded by the Sacramento Kings, his 1st NBA team) and his kicksology includes the Chosen1 Mids, Mystique Mid, Player X Mid, Rekanize Mid, Rise Mid, Uprise Mid, Taichi Mid plus a ton of PE versions of the 2Chi Mid (he was mostly seen wearing this model, and seems like he favored this silhouette above all).

He has represented the And1 brand during the majority of his stint with the Memphis Grizzlies and has once graced the cover of the And1 Mixtape 7 compilation (click HERE for the short clip, with AO); he was also one of my favorite players during the late 90’s/early 2000’s.

Check out the pics below of J-Will wearing And1 shoes through the years, and click HERE and HERE to view some of his NBA highlights.

From everybody here at And1 Ph, HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WHITE CHOCOLATE!

J-Will on the cover of the And1 Mixtape 7.

2Chi Mids.

Williams using the And1 Rise Mids.

Skipping a pass in the Uprise Mids.

Chosen1 Mids.

Jason hoisting a trifecta in the Player X Mid.

Hesitation dribble in the Rekanize Mids, custom shoelaces.

J-Will in Taichi Mids while playing for the Miami Heat.

A dream fulfilled.

The ME8 Empire Mid in RED is EN FUEGO!

[Shoe News – 11.8.11] - The ME8 Empire Mid in RED is EN FUEGO!

Inks & Images: FLASH

And1 Ph’s 8th of November article features the ME8 Empire Mid and its latest colorway to be locally released. I’ve actually previously posted a write-up about the And1 ME8 Empire Mid already from Monta Ellis’ signature line (click HERE for that post), and just recently, a red/white colorway of said silhouette has now reached Philippine retail.

Retailing for Php 5995, this new colorway now features a micro-fiber/suede material that joins the mesh upper that is designed to be “breathable, lightweight, and durable”. This red pair is to be used with utmost care outdoors. Suede is a pain in the a$$ to clean in case it gets wet and muddied, and if used for ballin’ outdoors, it would most certainly likely to get scruff marks as compared to its other TPU-topped releases (white/white/silver and black/black/gold). At first, I was so hyped up to cop a pair of red Empire Mids by Christmas season..but looks like I might have to give it some more consideration because of the upper suede material.

Still, using this lightweight pair for hooping is a huge advantage on the hardwood. You can get more than ample ankle support and cushioning because of its TPU cage (read: lateral stability), and you might want to consider changing its laces to pure white to give it more of a two-toned look (not to mention breaking the monotony of a pure red shoe with a barely visible white sole). Imagine slashing thru the opposing defenses in a pair of red shoes, and exploding to the hoop for a quick deuce or stopping on a dime for a pull up jumper. Yep, just like how Monta would.

Counterkicks also dropped an article about this colorway, check it out by clicking HERE.

So far there are already three CWs of the And1 ME8 Empire Mid available locally. Start building your empire NOW.

(Monta Ellis and the And1 ME8 Empire Mid grace the cover of Kicks #14 by SLAM Magazine)

Happy 26th birthday, Monta Ellis!

[And1 Baller Birthday – 10.26.11] – Happy 26th birthday, Monta Ellis!

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls

Images: Various (NBA / Gettyimages / And1.com)

And1 brand ambassador. 2007 NBA Most Improved Player. Pure scorer.

Current Golden State Warriors player Monta Ellis celebrates his birthday today, born October 26, 1985. One of the NBA's leader in minutes played for the 2009-2010 & 2010-2011 seasons, the player otherwise known as the Mississippi Bullet/Missile has shown significant improvement in each of his playing years, and swears that he'll be a much more lethal player this upcoming season (SLAM Kicks interview, 2011).

Since 2006, Monta has rocked And1 shoes and his kicksology includes the Wonder Mid, Disciple Mid, Onslaught Mid, plus a signature line that featured the ME8 Mid and ME8 Sovereign Mid, and the yet-to-be-worn in a NBA game, ME8 Empire Mid, among other silhouettes.

AND1 Ph greets one of the best pure scorers in the NBA on his special day. Check out the pics below of Monta wearing And1 shoes through the years, and click HERE to view some of his NBA highlights from the 2010-2011 season.

On a more personal note, I am still hopeful that Monta gets the respect that he deserves and makes it to the NBA All Star game soon. At 26, he can only get better. A more consistent long range shot with better rebounding and assists averages should seal the deal for this speed freak.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ME8!

Images of 2006:

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Images of 2011:

Kobe Bryant turns 33!

[And1 Baller Birthday – 08.23.11] – Kobe Bryant turns 33!

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls
Images: Various (NBA / Wilddonkey.com)

Former NBA Most Valuable Player (2007-2008) and current Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant celebrates his birthday today (born August 23, 1978). He recently visited the Philippines last July 2011 and is a current ambassador for the brand with the swoosh.
A little known fact about the Black Mamba’s kicksology is that he wore an And1 model in some NBA games in 2006 (vs the PHX Suns, the LA Clippers, & the GS Warriors, among others). This was right after his Adidas shoe deal, he tried on different shoe models from various brands and among them, was an And1 shoe.

That silhouette.. is the And1 Gametime Mid.

So while Kobe did not officially endorse the And1 brand, AND1 Ph still recognizes one of the best basketball players of his generation on his special day. Peep the pics below of pre-KB kicks, as well as close up images of his preferred shoe, the And1 Gametime Mid.

And oh yeah, HAPPY 33rd, Number 24! ONE.