Hot Sauce In Manila 2014

[Streetball’s Finest –  9.3.14] – Hot Sauce In Manila 2014

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 
Images: Flash, Joy and Nicole Ramos, and Hype Streetball official Facebook fanpage

Hey AND Juans, last August 30, 2014, the greatest streetball player in the world – Phillip Champion a.k.a. HOT SAUCE played in his first ever game in the Philippines, held at the Makati Coliseum.  It featured local streetball icons such as Lil Wizard, BallHustla, Bounce, and the rest of the Hype Streetball team against the Open Run Select Team.  A couple of celebrity ballers were also present to hoop with the Hype team, musician/actor/dancer Young JV and PBA player Eliud “Eloy” Poligrates of NLEX.

Hot Sauce doing what he does best - BREAKING ANKLES!

Prior to the actual game, AND1 Philippines’ Flash was part of the organizing team, spearheaded by Hype Streetball’s Nino Ventura and Angelo Moratillo.  Negotiations and discussions with Court Kingz’ Victor Martinez were finalized by late July 2014, and with barely a full month to bring Hot Sauce over to Manila for his historic visit, the local team were able to secure the necessary permits and accommodations.

The team behind Hot Sauce's very first visit to the Philippines, 

shot taken a month before the main game.

Hype Streetball, Court Kingz, and AND1 Ph - taken upon Hot Sauce's arrival in the Philippines.

Hot Sauce with AND1 Philippines' Flash throw up the "One's."

Check out more behind-the-scenes below!

BallHustla, Mr. Hangtime, and Flash - pre-game.

Early bird arrivals for the Filipino crowd that 

came out to watch the Hot Sauce In Manila main game.

Hot Sauce with his Hype Streetball teammates, along with

Victor Martinez of Court Kingz, and Flash of AND1 Ph.

After the main game, whose beneficiary was the Philippine Basketball for Jesus (PBJ), Hot Sauce stayed for almost an hour signing autographs and partook in photo ops with his adoring fans.  The meet-and-greet session ended with a shot of Hot Sauce, the Hype Streetball team, and all of his fans in the coliseum.

Hot Sauce and Victor Martinez flank Mark Mcdowell 

of the Philippine Basketball for Jesus, the game's beneficiary.

A shot of the crowd swarming Hot Sauce for autographs and photo ops after the game.

Hot Sauce with his Filipino fans.

Check out the Hype Streetball (click HERE) and Court Kingz (click HERE) official Facebook fanpages for more pictures and video highlights from the event.  Continue to follow AND1 Philippines in Twitter (@and1ph) and LIKE us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/and1ph.  And that’s the 411, AND Juans!

Flash of AND1 Philippines, Hot Sauce, and Victor Martinez of Court Kingz

The PBA's own version of Hot Sauce -

Eliud "Eloy" Poligrates with Nino "Lil Wizard" Ventura

Lil Wizard sets up his defender with an array of dribbles.

The Hype Streetball Team pose for posterity 

following a practice session for the main game.

“Hot Sauce” is coming to the Philippines

[Streetball’s Finest –  8.26.14] – “Hot Sauce” is coming to the Philippines

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 
Images: "Hype Streetball" and "Hot Sauce" official Facebook fanpages

Great news, AND Juans!  The best streeetball player in the world – Phillip Champion a.k.a. “Hot Sauce” - is coming to Manila this month of August, made possible by Court Kingz and our very own Hype Streetball.

In his first-ever Philippine visit, the sensational streetball legend made famous via the AND1 Mixtape craze back in the early 2000’s will be playing an exhibition game with some of the best local ballers for a good cause.  The beneficiary of the event will be Philippine Basketball for Jesus (PBJ).

Recognize royalty.  

Check out Hot Sauce's craziest plays by clicking the YT link below.

The main game will happen on August 30, 2014, 8:00PM (gates open 7:00pm) at the Makati Coliseum, Makati City.  Tickets for this historic visit can be availed via the official Hype Streetball Facebook fanpage (click HERE), prices are Php 250 (Lower Box) and Php 100 (Upper Box).  Check their page regularly for more information regarding the official tour schedule.

Grab 'em while they're HOT!

For interested ballers, a series of open-run tryouts on the same day will happen by 2:00PM at the Brgy Poblacion court in Makati, facilitated by members of the Hype Streetball team.  Selected players will get to play against Hot Sauce in the main game.

Right after the main game, Hot Sauce will be having a short meet-and-greet session for his fans, so make sure you don’t miss out on one of the biggest streetball events to ever happen locally.  Practice your handles, pull out your AND1 Mixtape gear, lace up your AND1 kicks, and grab your tickets for the “Hot Sauce In Manila” game.

Limited edition shirts will be sold at the venue. 

Find out more via the Hype Streetball FB fanpage.

AND1 Philippines will be officially covering this event, in coordination with Hype Streetball.  Continue to follow us in Twitter (@and1ph) and LIKE us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/and1ph.  It’s about to go down, AND Juans!

Hanging out with SPYDA - Part 1 of 2

[Streetball’s Finest  – 1.8.12] – Hanging out with SPYDA - Part 1 of 2

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 
Images: Dennis Chism aka Spyda (via Facebook); Getty Images and other sources

Continuing And1 Ph’s blog series “Streetball’s Finest”, I’ve caught up with Dennis Chism aka SPYDA, a fan favorite from the And1 Mixtape Tour and now still playing for the And1 Live Streetball Tour.

For all you And Juans out there who don’t know who Spyda is, Dennis Chism was born in Atlanta, Georgia and plays point guard.  At 5 feet and 1o inches tall and weighing around 175lbs, Spyda is known for his playmaking ability and high-flying dunks.  He is best known for his trademark dunk, the Spyda (just like his nickname), where he hangs upside down while holding on to the rim and then crosses his legs over his hands.

Spyda was kind enough to answer my questions that I sent via his email in such short notice, and even with his busy schedule, he gamely responded to these.  Here’s what he has got to share:

Flash: People already remember you from the Mixtape Tour back in mid-2000s.  When/how did you get invited to join And1 Mixtape Tour / And1 Live?

Spyda: “I had went home to California on school break.“

[Sidenote – Spyda joined the Mixtape tour as a contest player in 2004.  He made the cut, and was signed to a contract the same year.  He also got featured in ESPN’s TV series called “Streetball” from 2004-2006.]

Flash:  What are some of the other known tournaments/leagues/events you've balled in?

Spyda:  “ABA (American Basketball Association) - I played 2 years up under Kobe Bryant’s dad (Joe “Jellybean” Bryant) and playing on the And1 Mixtape allowed me to play at every gym and court.”

[Sidenote – Spyda suited up for the Las Vegas Rattlers and Boston Frenzy of the ABA between 2003-2004]

Flash:  Growing up, who were your influences in playing basketball?

Spyda:  “I’ve always been a Charles Barkley and a Kobe fan.”

Flash:  Who gave you the nickname Spyda and how did you get it?

Spyda:  “A friend of mine, Hot Sauce (Philip Champion).”   

[Sidenote – Hot Sauce gave Spyda his nickname because “he was catching everything”.  Chism used to be called Rim Crawler. – Source:  Hoopsvibe.com]

Continuation of this article will be posted on January 10.  For now, check out his in-game highlights via the Youtube video posted below.  More about Spyda and his And1 Live thoughts in Part 2.  Stay tuned!


[UPDATE - 1.10.12] - Click HERE to read part 2 of this article.