Netflix Announces ‘The Rise and Fall of AND1’ Documentary
Netflix has announced a forthcoming documentary about the cultural phenomenon that was AND1, a sports brand that once bridged the gap between basketball, hip-hop, fashion, and urban culture. Included in the streamer’s UNTOLD series, The Rise and Fall of AND1 will be directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kevin Wilson Jr. The film will cover the story behind the brand that went from a glorified school project, to a million-dollar business that helped take street ball mainstream with its AND1 Mixtape Tour.
“To tell the story of And1 you have to tell the story of grit, passion, perseverance and an undying love of the game of basketball,” Wilson Jr. told Complex. “Not only is this the story of streetball legends who kicked off a culture shifting movement and lived out their dreams to get paid to hoop when virtually everyone else shut them out. It’s also the story of regular people around the world who, because of And1, finally gained access to the energy and pandemonium of in-person high skilled, high energy basketball.”
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The director continued to highlight the impact and influence of AND1, adding, “And1 made that arena accessible for all of us, not just for the privileged few,” Wilson added. “And1 was fun, gritty streetball for the culture. I’m truly honored to have had the opportunity to chronicle the ascent and ultimate demise of such an iconic moment in sports history.”
Cofounded in 1993 by University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School students Jay Coen Gilbert, Seth Berger, and Tom Austin , AND1 started off by selling t-shirts out the trunk of a car before eventually becoming available at retailers nationwide. The brand later attracted endorsers such as NBA players Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Latrell Sprewell, and Jamal Crawford. From 2002 through 2008, the AND1 Mixtape Tour partnered with ESPN to air live on the network.
The Rise and Fall of AND1 will begin streaming on Netflix on August 23 and will include appearances from former AND1 stars The Professor, Hot Sauce, Skip 2 My Lou, The Main Event, Shane the Dribbling Machine, and more.
