AND1 Live Streetball Tour goes back home to Philadelphia

[LIVE WIRE – 6.7.12] – AND1 Live Streetball Tour goes back home to Philadelphia

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls

Images: AND1 Live website (www.and1live.com)

Mabuhay, And Juans.  The And1 Live Streetball Tour (previously known as the AND1 Mixtape Tour) will be going back to where it all started, Philadelphia, PA, on June 8, 2012 (Friday) for a free event that will be open to the public.  As most of you all know, the AND1 company was founded in Philadelphia back in 1993, and prior to celebrating its 20^th anniversary next year, this latest stop for the AND1 Live Streetball is a nice way of retracing its roots and giving back to the city where the brand first came out.

News about this event was posted in the official Facebook fanpage of And1 Basketball and And1 Live Streetball (images below).

As also shared in the official SLAM Magazine website (www.slamonline.com), “AND1 LIVE has partnered with Donate Life Pennsylvania, a partnership of the state’s two organ procurement organizations and the Pa. Department of Health, to present the AND1 LIVE Streetball Tour in four Pennsylvania cities.”

Moreover, “it highlights the talents of some of Streetball’s leading stars.  The mission of the tour is to serve the community and promote positive and healthy role models for today’s youth. Through the partnership, Donate Life-PA hopes to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation in the multicultural community as well as the 18-24 age group.”  The SLAM article also made mention that AND1 Executive and current brand endorsers and NBA players Markieff and Marcus Morris (fraternal twins, who also grew up from Philadelphia) will be attending the event.  Click HERE for the original post.

Expect AND1 Live’s very popular ballers Hot Sauce, Spyda, Easy J, HighRizer, Baby Shaq and more to electrify the crowd with their streetball brand of game.  Watch out for more And1 Live news and updates soon, but for local info, news, and updates, you can follow us in Twitter (@and1ph) and LIKE us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/and1ph).  And that’s the 411, AND Juan!

AND1’s official press release on the signing of the Morris twins as brand endorsers

[Shoe Session – 3.25.12] – AND1’s official press release on the signing of the Morris twins as brand endorsers

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls / Press release c/o And1 Basketball

Just got my hands on AND 1’s official press release due to be posted online within this week and all I can say is that things are absolutely looking up for the brand.  Markieff and Marcus Morris are now official brand endorsers for AND 1, having signed up for a 3-year shoe deal with the company.  I’ve previously posted an article about them back in February 2012 and you can click HERE to read more about it.

I’ve posted a screenshot of a portion of the said document, particularly the header, and you can immediately notice that it sports the new AND1 Player logo already.  Check out the image below:

The press release reveals that the twins, born and raised in Philadelphia (which is also the birthplace of the And1 brand), have long been achievers in the game of basketball, with an outstanding high school basketball career - back-to-back PIAA Class AA titles in 2006 and 2007, prior to suiting up for the University of Kansas Jayhawks. That 2006 title was the first time a Public League school won the state championship.

According to the press document, And1 Brand President Rob Purvy narrates.. “The Morris twins are great young talent and embody everything we love about the AND 1 brand.”   Furthermore, he mentioned that “Markieff and Marcus bring it. With their hometown work ethic, hunger, and true passion for the Game, we’re proud to have them play a big part in the future of AND 1.”

Rob Purvy shows the Morris twins the way to build their Empire.

Markieff Morris, who recently played in the NBA 2012 All Star Weekend BBVA Rising Stars game (Rookies-Sophomores), said “For two guys from Philly, there's really no other brand we'd want to represent. We're excited to work together and promote the Game we love.”  He is currently playing forward for the Phoenix Suns.

His twin, Marcus Morris, who plays for the Houston Rockets , couldn’t agree more.  "We've been fans of AND 1 as long as we can remember. We grew up on the MixTape, and to now be a part of the AND 1 family is really an honor," he quips.

Dedicated to all things basketball, the AND 1 brand and its legendary AND 1 Mixtape Tour (now known as AND 1 Live), is currently headquartered in Long Beach California and New York.  The basketball footwear, apparel, and accessories manufacturing company will be celebrating its 20^th anniversary this coming 2013 and the And1 Ph team will be there to provide every Juan an all-access pass to what is happening with the brand and its partners worldwide.

Stay tuned for more news and updates both locally and internationally from And1 Ph.  Any Juan can follow us in Twitter (@and1ph) and LIKE us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/and1ph).

Double-Double! AND1 signs the Morris twins (Marcus and Markieff) as brand endorsers

[Shoe Session – 2.3.12] – Double-Double!  AND1 signs the Morris twins (Marcus and Markieff) as brand endorsers

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 
Images: Various sources

A bit of good news for us And Juans to start the month of February as the Morris twins, Marcus and Markieff, are now part of the And1 family after having signed a contract earlier today.  Playing straight out of the University of Kansas, the former Jayhawks will banner the And1 brand throughout the season and will provide an NBA presence sorely needed with the apparent departure of Steve Blake, Marquis Daniels, and Monta Ellis.

Markieff (drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the 13^th pick) and Marcus (picked by the Houston Rockets right after with the 14^th selection and currently playing with the Rio Grande Vipers in the NBDL), are fraternal twins born 7 minutes apart.

Marcus Morris playing for the Houston Rockets 

and currently assigned to the NBDL team Rio Grande Vipers.

Markieff Morris playing for the Phoenix Suns and providing quality minutes off the bench.

Interestingly, during the 2011 NBA Draft, they got selected just 7 minutes and 13 seconds apart.  It marks just the 3^rd time in NBA history that twins were selected in the first round of the draft (previously, the Grant twins – Horace and Harvey, and the Lopez twins – Brooks and Robin).  Credit goes to Yahoo Sports for this bit of trivia.  Click HERE for the related article and check out the Youtube video below taken during NBA Draft night.

I’ve posted below some more images of the twins during their remarkable basketball journey, taken during their college days in Kansas.  I’ve also added a couple more Youtube videos of their in-game highlights and features to give every Juan a glimpse of their skills.

I couldn’t recall a time since Kevin Garnett (and Donyell Marshall) that And1 has signed big men to their roster.. so this is a nice move in my opinion.  I’m looking forward to more And1 scoop about new faces to represent the brand, and will make sure to keep every Juan posted (pardon the pun).

Stay tuned for more And1 news and updates both locally and internationally from And1 Ph.  Any Juan can follow us in Twitter (@and1ph) and LIKE us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/and1ph).  And that’s the 411, And Juan!