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+#REDIRECT [[Streetball]]
-{{Mergeto|Streetball|date=September 2006}}
-[[Image:Street_basketball,_paris.JPG|thumb|250px|left|Kids playing street basketball in Paris, France, in winter]]
-'''Street basketball''' is a very popular spin-off of [[basketball]], played worldwide by millions of people, males and females.
-Street basketball players generally range in age from age 5 to 65. Children start playing the sport at a kindergarten level at some schools. And unlike professional basketball, a person's life as a street baller may span decades because the game requires little training and is played for fun.  Street basketball also does not involve a rigorous schedule; participants may choose to play ten games in one day or one game in ten days. Usually only one side of the court is used, but otherwise the rules of the game are very similar to those of professional basketball. The number of participants in a game, or a ''run'', may range from two - one defender and one attacker (known as ''one on one'' or ''[[mano-a-mano]]'') - to two full teams of five each.
-[[Image:Street Basketball.JPG|right|125px|thumb|People playing a street basketball game]]
-The skill of street basketball players also varies. Some of the cities most famous for their street basketball players are [[New York, New York|New York]], [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[Miami]], and [[Cleveland]], although it is also said that there are good street players in [[Serbia]], [[Germany]], [[Israel]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Argentina]], [[Spain]] and [[Australia]]. [[Dirk Nowitzki]] of the [[Dallas Mavericks]] was discovered by Mavericks' coach [[Don Nelson]] while playing a game of street basketball during one of Nelson's trips to [[Germany]]. [[Shaquille O'Neal]] of the [[Miami Heat]] was also discovered while playing a street game in Germany, where his father was stationed with the [[U.S. Army]].
-The games are played very hard, and players are sometimes injured. It requires grit and resolve because players are often trying to impress the small crowds gathered around the court to watch, particularly spectators of the opposite sex. Certain professional leagues prohibit their players from engaging in this social activity to avoid the risk of injury.
-Street basketball has also become popular because of the And 1 Mix Tapes.  A group of street basketball players from New York started traveling the [[United States]] to play against local street ballers.  Everything was taped and the players tried to embarrass opponents by dribbling the basketball through their legs or bouncing it off their heads.  Now the And 1 Mix Tapes Tour has turned into a popular television show on [[ESPN]] that follows the life of these players as they travel around making the tapes.  All of the players have street names that they use as aliases.  Some of the most popular players on the tour include ''Skip to My Lou'', ''Hot Sauce'', ''50'', ''Shane the Dribbling Machine'', ''Half Man Half Amazing'', ''[[Aaron Owens|AO]]'', ''Alimoe'', and ''[[Grayson Boucher|The Professor]]''.  ''Skip to My Lou'', whose real name is [[Rafer Alston]], no longer participates in the And 1 Mix Tape Tour; he now plays for the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]'s [[Houston Rockets]].
-A popular variation of street basketball is the ''[[21 basketball|21]]'' game. "21" is played most often with 3-9 players on a half court and is a "one against all" game with much looser rules than even streetball. Rules are fluid, often differing regionally or even by court. A very challenging game, it is popular because it allows an odd number of people to play, unlike regular basketball or other variants.
-Street basketball is a very popular game worldwide, and a fun way for young people to keep out of trouble and avoid problems such as juvenile [[crime]] and [[Illegal drug trade|drug]]s.
-An initiative by local governments is [[Night basketball]] whereby local governments sponsor basketball games and supply a meal to players. The initaitive is designed for disadvantage youth in poor areas to decrease the likihood of youths committing [[streetcrime]] or [[vandalism]]. The basketball is played  primarily on weekend nights when youth streetcrime is most likely.
-===See also===
-*[[Ball games]]
-*[[Basketball#Variations and similar games]]
-*[[Streetball]]
-*[[Category:Street games]]
-===External links===
-*[http://www.insidehoops.com/streetball.shtml InsideHoops.com streetball]
-*[http://www.freebasketball.netfirms.com/ Streetball history]
-*[http://www.and1.com/ The And 1 website]
-*[http://www.msfbasketball.com/ Major Streetball Foundation (MSF)]
-[[Category:Forms of basketball]]
-[[de:Streetball]]
-[[it:Street basketball]]
-[[pl:Streetball]]