"Street Basketball" or Black Basketball had its origin in Washington, DC and New York City in the early 1900s. The talent and perseverance of players from these 2 cities gave rise to the established amateur leagues such as Washington's Interscholastic Athletic Association, Black Basketball League, and the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Basketball was not the only entertainment in the early days of "street ball" as a stage was present in most basketball halls/gyms and a performing band usually kept the audience wired. After the games, the crowds took to the floors and danced as the bands played the popular numbers. Game promoters and organizers soon realized that Black Basketball could be a very profitable business and the fine line between amateurism and professional was crossed. As the population in major cities grew after WWI, so did the growth of Black Basketball. Teams such as the Harlem Renaissance (Rens) and the Original Celtics dominated the scene with the Rens being recognized as the preeminent team in the 1920s. The famous Rens and other “street ball? teams went on the road to compete against all-white teams after WWII. The Black basketball players from Washington D.C. and other cities began to enroll in historically Black Colleges (CIAA) and made the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association one of the premiere conferences in the nation. By the 1950s, a former WWII veteran and a current New York City Park and Recreation employee, Holcomb Rucker, established a basketball tournament in Harlem. Soon this Harlem tournament would become a basketball institution where every great Black ball player from Wilt Chamberlain to Lew Alcinder to Julius Erving would grace the court of Rucker.
As more Black players were selected to the NBA, it still became a summer ritual to play in the Rucker league to prove that “you still had game?.
“Street ball? was introduced to mainstream America through the NCAA with teams like the Phi Slamma Jamma from Houston, the “Hoya Paranoia? of Georgetown, the Runnin' Rebels of UNLV, and finally the Fab Five of Michigan. Those teams had a style and charisma that was just as intense and exciting as any before seen in the college ranks.
After Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson retired from the NBA, there was a void to be filled and America was anxiously looking for their replacement. Harold Minor, Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill all were looked upon to be the one, but the savior wouldn’t be a single player, but a defining style.
Allen Iverson and his “street ball? play and hip-hop image didn’t catch on initially. Former NBA players like Charles Barkley called Iverson the “Playground Rookie Of the Year? instead of his just due as “NBA Rookie of the Year?. Within 2-3 years, a new wave of young players entered the NBA and Pop culture in the league was a foregone conclusion.
The emergence of the hip-hop culture permeated arenas throughout the NBA and Allen Iverson represented a beacon of hope for Madison Avenue as they tried to cash in after the lean years post Jordan.
In 2001, the “street ball? style was fully embraced by America as Allen Iverson led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals and AND 1 launched the first of their four annual Summer “street ball? tours.
The Street Basketball Association, LLC was also established in 2001 with a mission to create a professional “street basketball? league and a forum for talented players to showcase their innovative and unique skills in front of television viewers and live audiences around the globe.
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