Street basketball: Difference between revisions
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Street basketball has also become popular because of the And 1 Mix Tapes. A group of Street Basketball players from New York started travelling the [[United States]] and playing against the local street ballers. Everything was taped and the players tried to embarrass their opponents by dribbling it through their legs or bouncing it off their head. Now the And 1 Mix Tape Tour has turned into a popular 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'', ''AO'', ''Alimoe'', and ''The Professor''. ''Skip to My Lou'', real name [[Rafer Alston]], no longer participates in the Mix Tape Tour; he now plays for the [[NBA]]'s [[Toronto Raptors]]. |
Street basketball has also become popular because of the And 1 Mix Tapes. A group of Street Basketball players from New York started travelling the [[United States]] and playing against the local street ballers. Everything was taped and the players tried to embarrass their opponents by dribbling it through their legs or bouncing it off their head. Now the And 1 Mix Tape Tour has turned into a popular 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'', ''AO'', ''Alimoe'', and ''The Professor''. ''Skip to My Lou'', real name [[Rafer Alston]], no longer participates in the Mix Tape Tour; he now plays for the [[NBA]]'s [[Toronto Raptors]]. |
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A popular variation of street basketball is the ''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 and are often different regionally and/or court specific. It is popular because it allows an odd number of people to play which is not possible in basketball and it is very challenging. |
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 and are often different regionally and/or court specific. It is popular because it allows an odd number of people to play which is not possible in basketball and it is very challenging. |
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Scoring is recorded differently than regular basketball. In "21" field goals count as two points after which the player must shoot freethrows for 1 point apiece. If a freethrow is missed the rebound is in play, much like a "1 and 1" situation in regular basketball. If a player makes his freeethrow he continues shooting for the possibility of 3 freethrows. If all the freethrows are made he recieves the ball back from the defense as a "check" and is able to attempt another field goal against the defense. On some courts freethrow rules are "all day" in which the shooter continues shooting freethrows until he misses and play continues on the rebound. Often all baskets are counted as two points regardless of if they are made from behind the three point line or not. This is often decided before the game and also depends on if the outdoor court has a three point line or not. |
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The game is won by the first person to score 21 points exactly. If there is no "win by 2" rule on that court or in that game then the first party to score 21 exactly without going over is the winner. If the first party hits 22 then this is called a bust/marky and the first party goes back to a score of 1 or 0 (In many games a bust sends the player to 13 rather than 1 or zero. This is often a regional or court specific difference). |
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The win by two rule is not as common as straight "21". "Win by two" is when the first party gets to 21 before the other parties get to 19, therefore winning by 2 points. If the first party gets to 21 but the second party gets to 20 the first party must score another basket to win. |
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Because there is no opportunity to pass the ball away the travelling, carrying, and out of bounds rules are often relaxed or eliminated. Thus if a player makes an attempt and the ball goes out of bounds the first player to get the ball takes it into play. If a player dribbles out of bounds there is no penalty they simply bring the ball back in bounds. Often the ball is "checked" after an out of bounds by giving the ball to a defender who then gives it back to the ball handler. This gives the defense a chance to ready themselves. Carries and travels are not often called as long as the ball carrier is making a good faith attempt to maintain a semblance of basketball dribbling rules and not gaining advantage through circumventing the rules. This often allows a player who has lost their dribble in an awkward place and become surrounded to continue dribbling to get out of the situation and attempt a shot. This does not allow a player to trick opposing players by losing his dribble and suddenly regaining it or other such trickery. That will cause a fight faster than you can blink, so don't try it. Rather, the rules are fluid to allow for situations which are not covereed by normal basketball rules. |
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Fouls are often not called unless they are particularly brutal or obvious. The player with the ball never calls the foul as a point of pride, all fouls are conceded by the defense. On many courts it is expected that after a rebound the player must dribble out beyond the three point line or free throw line extended before attacking but it is just as often the case that rebounds can be immediately put back. |
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Many times the option of playing "tips" or "tip in's" is discussed at the beginning of the game of 21. In these rules if a player tips in another players shot (Jumping and tipping the rebound into the basket while in the air as in an "Alley Oop") the player who's shot was tipped goes to a score of zero. Often this is not done as the game is significantly lengthened. "Tips" seems to be a more recent phenomenon and more popular with young teenage players (2005). It changes the tactics of the game as medium range jumpers are dangerous due to short rebounds and thus more chance for tips. This puts more emphasis on drives to the hoop (and higher percentage shots) or long three point shots which often bounce further from the rim and thus diminish the possibility of tip in's. |
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Street basketball is a very popular game worldwide, and a fun way for young people to keep out trouble and avoid problems such as juvenile [[crime]] and [[drug]]s. |
Street basketball is a very popular game worldwide, and a fun way for young people to keep out trouble and avoid problems such as juvenile [[crime]] and [[drug]]s. |
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Revision as of 18:43, 17 February 2005
Street basketball is a very popular spin-off of basketball, played by millions of people, both females and males, worldwide.
The ages of street basketball players generally range from age 5 to 65. Kids start playing the sport at a kindergarten level at some schools. But unlike professional basketball, a person's life as a street baller could span decades because the game doesn't require much training and is played for fun. Usually only one side of the court is used, and it doesn't involve a rigorous schedule. Participants can either play ten games in one day, or one game in ten days. The rules of the game are very similar to those of professional basketball, although some rules differ sometimes. The number of participants in a game may range from two - one defender and one attacker (known as one on one or mano-a-mano) to full teams of five.
The skill of street basketball players also varies. Some of the cities most famous for their street basketball players are New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, although it is also said that there are good street players in Germany, Israel, Puerto Rico, Argentina and Spain. 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 Los Angeles Lakers was also discovered while playing a street game in Germany, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Army.
The games are very hard, and sometimes players could get injured. It requires grit and resolve because a lot of times, players involved are trying to impress the small crowds gathered around the court to watch, particularly spectators of the opposite sex. Because of this, certain professional leagues prohibit their players from engaging in this social activity.
Street basketball has also become popular because of the And 1 Mix Tapes. A group of Street Basketball players from New York started travelling the United States and playing against the local street ballers. Everything was taped and the players tried to embarrass their opponents by dribbling it through their legs or bouncing it off their head. Now the And 1 Mix Tape Tour has turned into a popular 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, AO, Alimoe, and The Professor. Skip to My Lou, real name Rafer Alston, no longer participates in the Mix Tape Tour; he now plays for the NBA's Toronto Raptors.
A popular variation of street basketball is the 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 and are often different regionally and/or court specific. It is popular because it allows an odd number of people to play which is not possible in basketball and it is very challenging.
Street basketball is a very popular game worldwide, and a fun way for young people to keep out trouble and avoid problems such as juvenile crime and drugs.