Top 10 AND1 Players (and their shoes)

AND1 left an indelible mark on the basketball world during the late 90s and early 00s. The influence of AND1 shoes, merchandise, and the wildly popular AND1 Mixtapes affected every aspect of the game and basketball culture during this time. From fashion to music, AND1 even altered the playing style in the NBA and was responsible for the street basketball style that made its way onto the game’s biggest stage. It is no surprise that their hoop shoes were so sought after during this period. You couldn’t turn on an NBA game without seeing at least one pair of AND1s running down the hardwood!

Since it’s been 30 years since AND1 came onto the scene, and the brand is in the midst of a fantastic re-launch, we thought it would be a good moment to remind our readers of just how cool AND1 was (and is). To that end, we have put together a list of the top 10 NBA Players that wore AND1s on court. Let’s get into it.

Top 10 AND1 Players

There are a ton of NBA players that hooped in AND1s. Chris Webber, Jason Williams, Desmond Mason, Larry Hughes, JR Rider and other NBA greats, all played in AND1s but didn’t make our list. There are even some current players we omitted, such as Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell, who are technically AND 1 players sporting the Attack 2.0. (BTW check out the Attack 3.0 if you haven’t already). However, we feel the 10 players making our list are the most iconic NBA players to ever play in AND1s.

Kevin Garnett

You might have thought we would start off with Stephon Marbury, arguably one of the most iconic AND1 signature athletes. But we decided to start our list with his fellow Timberwolves teammate. (Don’t worry Stephon is also on our list)

KG was perhaps the best basketball player AND1 ever had on their roster. Garnett had two signature shoes, the KG 1 and the KG 2, but also wore several other non-signature models, most famously the AND1 Mad Game.

Garnett signed with the brand in 2001, choosing AND1 over Nike. This was a huge surprise back in the day. KG was looking to have greater creative control over his shoe and that is exactly what AND1 gave him. Both of his signature models are sleek and bursting with 2000s vibes.

Garnett rocked with AND1 from 2000 to 2003. During this period he averaged 22 ppg, 12 rpg, 5 apg, 1.6 bpg, and 1.4 apg. He was named to the All-Star team each year and he took home the All-Star game MVP in 2003. He was named to the All-NBA second team twice and the first team once and was named to the All-NBA 1st Defensive team all three years.

Stephon Marbury

Now let’s talk about Starbury, the OG AND1 signature athlete. The point guard out of Coney Island was drafted 4th overall during the legendary 1996 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and was immediately traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Marbury had some serious game complete with heavy streetball influences. After all, he is THE quintessential New York point guard. When he signed with AND1 and rocked his own signature model (the Marbury Mid, now known as the Coney Island Classic) during his rookie season, it seemed like a match made in heaven.

The Marbury Mid is an iconic shoe, and a decent performance model. But, Marbury injured his ankle while playing in the shoe and a lot of blame unfairly fell upon the “unproven” shoe from the “unproven” brand. Afterward, Steph played in Pennys for a time. When he was traded to the New Jersey Nets, he went right back to playing in AND1s.

Marbury played in AND1s for most of his career, switching brands in 2005. He played in several different models including the AND1 Tai Chi, the AND1 Desire, and the AND1 Silky Smooth among others. Marbury’s Tai Chis were made iconic with that S logo of his. In particular, the pair he wore during the 2001 All-Star game stands out to me. But his go-to model during his career was the AND1 Quest Mid.

The Quest Mid was a very popular shoe among NBA players. AND1 launched several PE colorways for their athletes that just popped on court: Desmond Mason had a green and yellow version, Ben Wallace had a blue and red version, and Phoenix Sun teammates Marbury and Shawn Marion wore purple and orange. AND1 does split colorways right.

Ben Wallace

“Big Ben” Wallace was one of the premier defenders and clearly one of the most intimidating players during the ’00s.  Guess what? He was an AND1 guy, too. Wallace was a terror down in the paint. He blocked shots and brought down rebounds at an alarming rate. In his prime, Ben Wallace averaged 12.6 rpg, 1.6 spg, and 2.7 bpg standing at just 6’9″. He was named to the All-Star Team and the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year four times. He would also win an NBA title in 2004. The Fro was no joke.

Ben played in AND1 shoes from 2001 to 2005. He used a bunch of different models including the AND1 Silky Smooth, the Mad Game, the Spree Mid, and the Tai Chi 2. But the most iconic model Wallce played in was the AND1 Chosen 1, which for all intents and purposes is the “Ben Wallace Shoe”. The Chosen 1 was the shoe Wallace used to kick Shaquille O’Neal’s butt during the 2003-04 NBA Finals and it was a model he would always revert to when other models weren’t cutting it for him. The Chosen 1 is an iconic shoe, to say the least.

Chauncey Billups

Chauncey Billups was selected 3rd overall during the 1997 NBA Draft. Billups had a rocky start to his NBA career and before his first season ended with the Celtics, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors. After that he was bounced to the Nuggets, to the Timberwolves, and finally to Detroit, where he would finally find some stability and success.

Like Ben Wallace, Chauncey started wearing AND1 in 2001. He also started using the AND1 Silky Smooth while playing for the T-Wolves alongside KG. He would lace up many different AND1 models including the Desire, the Tai Chi, and, perhaps because of his relationship with Garnett, the AND1 KG 1 and 2. The most iconic model he played in, and the kicks with which he won an NBA title, was the AND1 Rise. The AND1 Rise was a very popular model among NBA guards at the time. In my opinion, it was Chauncey’s shoe. The AND1 Rise is not a particularly flashy model, but during the Finals vs the Lakers, they oddly stood out on court. They may have made an impact due to his MVP performance- memory is a tricky thing!

During his time with AND1 Chauncey averaged 16 ppg and 6 apg, he was named twice to the All-NBA 2nd Defensive team, and as we have mentioned, won an NBA title and the finals MVP. Over his career, he would also be selected to 5 All-Star teams. After great success with AND1, he switched over to Adidas in 2005. Unfortunately, after changing brands, he wouldn’t be able to win another title… coincidence? You tell me.

Rafer Alston aka Skip To My Lou

We all know about Rafer Alston’s exploits outside of the NBA. Suffice it to say the first AND1 Mixtape is known as the Skip tape. After establishing himself as one of the top legendary streetball players of all time, Alston made it all the way to the League. It wasn’t an easy journey, however. He played a year in the CBA and even when he was picked up by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1999, he would have to spend time in the D-League (the G-League today). But Skip kept at it, earned a permanent spot on the roster, and carved out a more-than-decent NBA career. He averaged 10 ppg and 5 apg over an 11-year career and played in the NBA Finals with the Orlando Magic. Not too shabby for a lowly streetball player.

Rafer Alston played in AND1 for the vast majority of his stint in the NBA. For a brief period at the end of his career, he played in Reebok and Adidas. He played in a ton of different AND1 models: the Silky Smooth, the Tai Chi, the Desire, the Drive, the Rise, the Chosen 1, the Rekanize Mid, the Player X, the Mystique Mid, the Advance Mid, the Franchise Mid, the Uprise, and the Devastate.

He never had a proper signature but Rafer was always featured prominently in AND1’s marketing and I think the Franchise Mid could even be considered his pseudo-signature. But, the shoe he used the most had to be the Devastate during his time with the Rockets. I might have said the Tai Chi was “his shoe” in the league because he used that model frequently as well. But, the Tai Chi was involved in one of the most emblematic moments in NBA history…and Alston wasn’t involved. More on that later.

Latrell Sprewell

Spree, in my opinion, is the coolest player on this list because of his playing style and his AND1 shoe arsenal. Sprewell was a bit of a wildman and was super fun to watch. He was an AND1 shoe early adopter. He started wearing AND1s back in 1999 and was the first player to ride them all the way to an NBA Finals.

Sprewell started wearing AND1 after signing with the New York Knicks during the 1998-99 season. Before that, Spree had been a Golden State Warrior and a Nike and a Converse guy. But after a notorious incident where he ended up choking the then-head-coach, PJ Carlesimo, he was suspended for 68 games.  And just like that, he was no brand’s first choice for an endorsement deal. Shockingly, this altercation didn’t derail his career. Sprewell would flourish with the New York Knicks.

During his first season in New York, he averaged 16 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg, and 1 stl off the bench and the Knicks made it to the NBA Finals. They would ultimately come up short, but Latrell helped establish the Knicks as a powerhouse in the East. During that first season with the Knicks, he wore the AND1 Finger Roll and the AND1 Crossover.

The Crossover in particular is a very underrated model in the classic AND1 lineup. This was Sprewell’s go-to model during the finals and Chris Webber’s top pick that whole season. The asymmetrical lacing system, the beefy herringbone traction pattern, the leather upper… wow…these were nice!

Sprewell would even get a signature model with AND1 – the Spree Mid which is as 2000’s as it gets. Sprewell ultimately switched brands to DADA in 2002 and rocked those iconic spinner shoes, but his AND1 period was awesome.

More iconic than Sprewell’s shoes with AND1 were his ads with them. Just sayin’

Monta Ellis

I just recently forgave Steph Curry for taking Monta Ellis’ job back in the day. Monta was my favorite player for a hot minute in the mid-2000s. Monta Ellis entered the NBA straight out of high school as an electric shooting guard and, in my opinion, one of the great and most overlooked Warriors players. Nicknamed the Mississippi Bullet, he was as fast as hell and could jump out of the gym.  He was an elite scorer.

He was part of the iconic “We Believe” Warriors, he was named the most improved player of the 06-07 season, he averaged 19.5 ppg, 4.5 apg, and 3.7 rpg over 7 years with the Warriors, and in his best year in the Bay he turned in 25, 5 and 4 a night. He never won much on his own and he was never an All-Star but still, he was an awesome guy to watch.

Monta was an AND1 player for most of his career. He wore AND1s from 2005 to 2011 and had a couple of signature shoes to boot. He isn’t higher on this list because the models he played in weren’t the most iconic shoes AND1 ever created. But, that didn’t stop me from picking up his Empire Mid back in the day.

Monta played in an assortment of different models, but the most memorable were the Franchise Mid, the Open Run Mid, the Mystique Mid, the Onslaught Mid, and his “signature models” (and I am using the term signature loosely) the Empire Mid, the ME8,  ME8 Sovereign, and the ME8 1.09.

Vince Carter

Rafer Alston couldn’t be “the Tai Chi guy” because of Half Man Half Amazing (not the real one, but the one who played in the NBA) Mr. Vince Carter. Vince rocked with AND1 for a short period of time, but it was epic while it lasted. Vince played in the AND1 Tai Chi for most of the 1999-00 season. He wore them during the 2000 All-Star Game, and even laced them up while playing for the US National Team. But the reason the Tai Chi is “his shoe” is because of the 2000 Dunk Contest. The best dunk contest in NBA History. Period.

Vince Carter put on the greatest performance in a dunk contest ever. His arm-in-the-rim dunk and the bounce pass alley-oop Eastbay in particular seemed (at the time) like something a human being shouldn’t be able to do. And he did it all in a clean red and white colorway of the Tai Chi.

Shawn Marion

Shawn Marion was a beast and one of the more underrated players of the 2000s. He was a fierce defensive player and rebounder and could average 20 points without having one play called for him. He averaged 15 points and 9 boards a game over a 16-year career, he was selected to the All-Star team 4 times and won an NBA title in 2011 with the Mavs.

Marion wore AND1 from the moment he entered the NBA in 1999 until 2004. He played in the Mad Games, the Silky Smooth, the Tai Chi, the Drive Mid, the Rise, the Spree Mid, the Quest Mid, and the AND1 Desire. The Desire is the coolest model he ever wore, but I am biased. Most will remember his All-Star edition, purple and orange Quest Mid. But someone else has the most iconic pair of AND1 Desire.

Kobe Bryant

Of all the players on this list, Kobe wore AND1 for the shortest period of time. It was just a handful of games while he was a sneaker-free agent during the 2002-03 season. But Kobe is such an icon, he had to be on the list. He just happened to wear my favorite AND1 model ever. My article, my rules.

Kobe wore two AND1 models during his brief stint without a shoe deal, the AND1 Game Time and the AND1 Desire. AND1 seemed to be his go-to model for the first half of the season. There is a white and yellow PE version of the AND1 Desire that, to my knowledge, Kobe never played in.  They are simply fantastic.

During that year’s All-Star game, Kobe played in Jordan 3s and stuck with Jordans (mainly the Jordan 8) for the rest of the season. As we all know, Kobe would sign with Nike the next season. But, it would have been amazing to see an AND1 Kobe signature line. If only…