2013 Los Angeles Summer Pro League (presented by AND1) concludes 40th season, Nation Wide crowned as champs

[Shoe Session – 8.12.13] – 2013 Los Angeles Summer Pro League (presented by AND1) concludes 40^th season, Nation Wide crowned as champs

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 
Images: Summer Pro League FB account / Walt Thompson

Last July 31, 2013, the Los Angeles Summer Pro League (also known as the SPL) wrapped up its 40^th season with a championship game between two very talented teams – Nation Wide and LA Lightning.  In the highly contested match that went into overtime – Nation Wide defeated LA Lightning, 101 – 98, with Kejuan Johnson and Tyshwan Edmondson topscoring with 26 and 23 points respectively.

Nation Wide Team, 40th Los Angeles Summer Pro League Champions

This year’s tournament was once again co-presented by AND1 (major sponsor) - along with Macleem Sports, East LA College, Verve Drink, Lyte Balance, Wilson, Dr. Kosari, Kene Counts, and SLAM Magazine.

Lance Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers (left), currently the AND1 brand's 

top NBA endorser, poses with Rob Purvy (AND1 President) and 

Dexter Gordon (Rucker basketball) during the game.

Macleem Sports and AND1 teamed up to produce 

the SPL's league jerseys for its 40th season

Some key highlights from this year’s tourney:

-     The SPL had league tryouts in seven cities this year; Kansas City, Buffalo, Charleston, Jacksonville, Atlanta, LA and Orlando

-          16 free agent teams entered in the LA SPL

-          Nico Miles of FLOW made a season high 9 three pointers in one game

-          Aaron Perez of AND1 Select scored a league high 40 points in a game

-          Marcquintice Davis of ETE handed out a league high 19 assist in one game

-          Kerry Jones of Team Verve pulled down a league high 19 rebounds in one game

-          For the second year in a row the SPL championship went into overtime

-          No team went undefeated this season in the LA SPL

-          The LA SPL introduced a four team playoff round

-          The introduction of the LA SPL in Orlando, FL

To find out more about the SPL, visit their official website (www.summerproleague.com) and/or add them up on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/summer.p.league).

Stay tuned to AND1 Philippines for international features and the regular local updates by following us on Twitter (@and1ph) and LIKE us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/and1ph).  And that’s the 411, And Juan!

2013 Los Angeles Summer Pro League (presented by AND1) kicks off 40th year

[Shoe Session – 7.17.13] – 2013 Los Angeles Summer Pro League (presented by AND1) kicks off 40th year

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 

Images: Summer Pro League website

The Los Angeles Summer Pro League is back on its 40^th year, and will re-open its doors to another batch of ballers beginning July 20 with a two-day tryout camp on July 17-18.  Similar to last year’s run, AND1 will be co-presenting the event and is a major partner (uniform sponsor for the tournament).  This year’s tournament also coincides with the AND1 brand’s 20^th anniversary (founded 1993).

The official tournament dates are as follows:

• Tryout Camp dates: July 17 and 18, 2013.
• League dates: July 20 - 29, 2013
• Championship game on July 31, 2013.

*Dates subject to change.

A teaser of this year’s SPL run has been posted online by Frederick Smith, Jr - founder and executive producer of The Basketball Channel.  You can view the Youtube clip by clicking HERE. 

Last year’s champions, AND1 Select, will be back to compete against topnotch teams bannered by collegiate standouts and professional basketball players from different parts of the USA (click HERE for related blog article).  SPL alumni includes current NBA players Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Shane Battier, Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce, and Dirk Nowitzki, among others.  Over 800 former and current NBA players and thousands more of professional players around the world have played in the SPL, and every NBA team has already participated in it throughout its history.

Last year's champions, the AND1 Select team 

(image taken from SPL website banner).

Other event sponsors are Macleem, Dr. Kosari, IBL, Powerade, Coast Guard, The Basketball Channel, Wilson, Winning Ways Pro, ESPN Deportes, Hotels.com, Vincent Insurance Services, Eastbay, Blue, Website Maintenance and Design, and the NBA.

For more info about the SPL, check out their website by clicking HERE.  Shoutouts to Walt Thompson, SPL’s VP of Operations for sharing tournament info.  Stay tuned to AND1 Philippines for international features and the regular local updates by following us on Twitter (follow @and1ph) and LIKE us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/and1ph).  And that’s the 411, And Juan!

2012 Los Angeles Summer Pro League (presented by AND1) concludes 39th season, AND1 Select Team crowned as champs

[Shoe Session – 8.2.12] –2012 Los Angeles Summer Pro League (presented by AND1) concludes 39^th season, AND1 Select Team crowned as champs
Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 

Images: Morris Morning (via Facebook) & Summer Pro League FB fanpage

The 39^th season of the Los Angeles Summer Pro League (SPL) wrapped up last July 30, 2012 with a championship game between two previously unbeaten teams – AND1 Select and LA Loop – with the former taking home the tournament crown and in the process, recorded a 7-0 win-loss slate.  I’ve added some images below courtesy of Morris Morning (thru FB).

AND1 Select Team, 39th Los Angeles Summer Pro League Champions

This year’s tournament was co-presented by AND1 (major sponsor and official outfitter), along with Dr. Kosari, International Basketball League (IBL), The Basketball Channel, Skullcandy, Powerade, Coast Guard / Coast Guard Reserve, US Navy, Wilson, and the NBA (NBA.com), among others.  The championship game ended with the final score 91-86, with AND1 select (led by Franklin Session and Tremayne Johnson) etching out the hard-fought victory in double overtime.

League sponsors and official partners.

For more details about the game recap, click HERE to be redirected to a blog article written by Warren Shaw (with write-up provided by Walt Thompson, VP of Operations of the SPL).  You can also find out more about the SPL by visiting their official website (www.summerproleague.com) and/or add them up on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/summer.p.league).

http://www.facebook.com/summer.p.league

Official website:  www.summerproleague.com

The Summer Pro League’s list of alumni include Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, David Robinson, Dominique Wilkins, Isaiah Thomas, Reggie Miller, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler, Moses Malone, and Dennis Rodman, among others.  More than 800 former and current NBA players and thousands more of professional players around the world have played in the SPL. 

Stay tuned to AND1 Philippines for international features and the regular local updates by following us on Twitter (follow @and1ph) and LIKE us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/and1ph).  And that’s the 411, And Juan!

Teaser video for 2012 Los Angeles Summer Pro League presented by AND1 now posted online

[Shoe Session – 6.26.12] – Teaser video for 2012 Los Angeles Summer Pro League presented by AND1 now posted online

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 
Images: Summer Pro League website and And1 Basketball
The teaser video for this year’s Summer Pro League (SPL) in Los Angeles has been posted online last June 23, 2012.  Due to re-open its doors to a very talented crop of ballers (playing professionally all around the world and in the NBA), the SPL will begin this July 15 and will run thru the 29^th.  As seen in the SPL website’s splash banner and in the Youtube video that I’ve posted below, AND1 is presenting the event and is a major partner/sponsor (they will also provide the uniforms for the tournament).

The Summer Pro League’s list of alumni include Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, David Robinson, Dominique Wilkins, Isaiah Thomas, Reggie Miller, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler, Moses Malone, and Dennis Rodman, among others.  As mentioned in the video’s description, over 800 former and current NBA players and thousands more of professional players around the world have played in the SPL.

For more info about the SPL, check out their website by clicking HERE.  Stay tuned to AND1 Philippines for international features and the regular local updates by following us on Twitter (follow @and1ph) and LIKE us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/and1ph).  And that’s the 411, And Juan!

AND1 President Rob Purvy interview with the Summer Pro League (SPL)

[Shoe Session – 5.2.12] – AND1 President Rob Purvy interview with the Summer Pro League (SPL)

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 
Images: Summer Pro League website and And1 Basketball (official logo)

The annual Southern California Summer Pro League (aka the “SPL”) is one of the major summer tournaments in North America.  Over the course of its 39-year existence, it has become a stage in which all of the NBA teams have already participated in, and its illustrious list of alumni include Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, David Robinson, Dominique Wilkins, Isaiah Thomas, Reggie Miller, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler, Moses Malone, and Dennis Rodman, among others.

With AND1 Basketball currently a major sponsor of the tournament (see SPL’s splash banner image below), Walt Thompson, Vice President for Operations of SPL, sat down with AND1 President Rob Purvy and was able to get his thoughts about Rob's beginnings in the shoe business, working with NBA stars, and AND1’s brand strategy and plans for its upcoming 20^th anniversary in 2013 and beyond.

I’ve lifted three key items from Walt’s article and quoted his questions and Rob’s responses in this And1 Ph blog post, as shared below.  To read the entire article in the SPL website, click HERE.

SPL: So much has gone on with the AND1 brand over the last 12 months, new ownership, new logo, new location, and new slogan - how do you feel about it?
RP: Excited! I think a lot of those survival instincts that come from the way I came up definitely came into play here. I think 15 years from now it will probably stump someone in a trivial question when they say name a brand that in a calendar year changed ownership more than once. People will probably be stumped. The fact that this brand has a destiny and that it is an organic brand, it's all about the essence of the sport. That's why it has been able to survive through the ups and downs than some of the other brands or competitors out there.

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SPL: AND1's early advertising strategy was about in your face street ball, trash talking and the promotion of the AND1 Mixtape tours featuring colorful players like Hot Sauce, The Professor, AO, Skip to My Lou. Without prying too deep into your company's strategy, what are AND1's goals now and in the foreseeable future?
RP: Well now and in the foreseeable future I think it is our responsibility to acknowledge the fact that next year marks the 20-year anniversary since the brand was founded. So I can't express how excited I am about that and to be able to be at this brand at such a critical milestone. That it is invaluable. I get nervous in a good way that we do all the things we need to do to properly pay homage to the brand being 20 years old. But in terms of what we are going to do, we're going to play into our past and actually create a celebration. I think we are going to speak to the roots of the brand, where the brand was founded and again acknowledge all those exciting players that you named. I think it is our responsibility to get the same level or even more excitement behind the new generation of people who were inspired by those names and take it to the next level in terms of the renaissance and the re-explosion of the brand. 

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SPL: What to look out for regarding the AND1 product line…what's hot coming out and when can we expect to see the latest gear?

RP: Well I think the biggest thing that I'm excited about in regard to our product line is our current owners', which is Galaxy International, a newly formed group out of New York. They are some phenomenal people who have come together, industry vets who have formed a whole new group. The first thing they did was they gave me the tools to be able to expand the product line. Before we had limited resources, we really couldn't be a full on brand. We are most excited to be able to expand a line and have a "Lo-Qi" product (pronounced like Low Key), our mid tier product and have high-end performance product, that's what I'm most excited about. We will be able to supply our consumer fully with everything that they would want from us to express themselves in our brand. And I think it is important to speak on the brand, because I think "a brand is basically a culture that you share with people in exchange for their money". I've been blessed to be affiliated with a lot of good looking product over the breath of my career and I try to inspire my team to give us the best performing product made out of the best materials, constructed the best way that it can be and at the same time, allow you to be what I think people want to be when they wear stuff and that's to be cool. We are really excited in terms of what we are bringing to the table and I like to speak on the level of excitement that we have been blessed to be able to sign the Morris twins. I think those guys represent this renaissance and this new slate and this new opportunity. We are pretty much doing a full court press getting back into the game.

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There you have it, And Juans!  Looks like very exciting times are ahead, not just for AND1 celebrating its upcoming 20^th anniversary next year, but also beyond 2013.  Personally, I’m stoked with Rob’s responses especially some bits of info about what AND1 has in stock for everyone.  If anyone has been paying attention, Rob mentioning Galaxy International (the new group that owns AND1) means they now have more flexibility as far as churning out new products (more basketball-related gear!) and being able to expand what they are currently offering such as the Lo-Qi line (off court/lifestyle).  From a consumer standpoint, we are looking at new products that not only look good and represent the game of basketball well, but also performs at a high level expected for this game.

For more info about the SPL, check out their website by clicking HERE.  The 2012 schedule includes Tryout Camp dates on July 12 and 13, 2012, and actual League dates will be between July 15 - July 29.  The Championship game is scheduled on July 30.  Stay tuned to AND1 Philippines for international features and the regular local updates by following us on Twitter (follow @and1ph) and LIKE us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/and1ph).  And that’s the 411, And Juan!