Peep The Crossover: How AND1 Went From The Street To The Feet Of High School Basketball Players

Brick by brick.

That’s exactly how after 33 years in the business of basketball, footwear, and apparel, AND1 has remained close to the street while also keeping a close eye on the future of youth and high school hoops on basketball courts across America.

Brick by brick.

That’s also a common mantra on LinkedIn where Brand Director and Head of Sports Marketing for AND1 and Co-CEO of The Rucker Brand, Dexter Gordon, holds court by respectively posting frequent updates about what AND1 is doing in the basketball space on a national level. As smooth as the famed saxophonist that bears his name, this Dexter Gordon has spent the past 13 years helping build and re-build the company by carefully shaping and molding the next generation high school basketball players for AND1.

“With such a great heritage it feels nice to work with high school boys and girls and really engage with the younger generation, to let them know about the history of the brand,” Gordon told High School on SI.

“Now I get to bridge that gap and meet them where they are. It's so crazy that the kids today are paying homage to AND1 and don’t even know it. Think about it, now almost every kid has a mix tape.”

Fresh off of an emergency dental procedure earlier in the week, Dexter Gordon spent time with High School on SI reflecting on his own tenure with AND1, the work AND1 is doing by outfitting high school girls and boys basketball teams, his affinity for Rucker Park and the brand, the “business of basketball”, 90’s nostalgia, collaborating with HBCU’s, The Connect League, and the patient chase of finding that next standout high school basketball program and players to proudly welcome into the rich history of the AND1 family.

Traditionally AND1 started as a streetball brand that disrupted both the shoe game and how basketball was viewed and played. Thirty years later, how has it been crossing over to work with more high school boys and girls basketball teams and programs nationally?

Well, I think it’s the evolution of the brand or as I call it “ The evolution the revolution”. We were known for street ball because that’s where we were rooted, but then the brand authentically grew and became involved in all facades of basketball. If you look back in our history we had the AND1 High School Basketball Championships, before all the circuits. Teams played in different regions and the winners came to play in Philadelphia for the championships. This took place in the summer. With such a great heritage it feels nice to work with high school boys and girls and really engage with the younger generation, to let them know about the history of the brand. Now I get to bridge that gap and meet them where they are. It's so crazy that the kids today are paying homage to AND1 and don’t even know it. Think about it, now almost every kid has a mix tape.

What are some current high schools AND1 is working with and what excites you about teaming-up with them?

We are currently working with Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia with the boys and girls basketball teams and Forest Hills High School in Queens, New York with their boys. We are building our high school teams organically. We are excited to be working with both programs. Gratz is a program In Philadelphia with such a rich history that has produced All-City, All-State, All-Americans and NBA players. Philadelphia is also where AND1 started. We sponsored them in the early 2000’s and reconnected to work with them again. Forest Hills is also a great program located in Queens, where we wanted a school to represent the brand in Mecca of New York. Forest Hills equally has a rich history of All-City to NBA players as well. Both schools are competitive and make deep playoff runs every year. Both schools are also entrenched in their respective communities. We are also excited to connect with a new generation of players from both schools.

What’s your own journey to reach AND1?

I’m originally from La Marque, Texas and came to New York on a basketball scholarship; I played and received my degree from Brooklyn College. I’ve always loved sneakers, but of course like any player, I had dreams of playing in the NBA. When that didn’t go as planned I fell in love with the business of basketball. I started The Rucker Brand where I’m the Co-CEO with my business partner Chris Rucker, the grandson of Holcombe Rucker of the world-famous Rucker Park. I worked at Converse as the head of grassroots. We were pitching AND1 about the possibility of bringing The Rucker Brand under the AND1 banner. They passed on the opportunity but asked me if I wanted to come in and work with the brand. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

What’s changed the most from when you first started with the company to your position today within AND1?

There have been so many changes in culture, fashion, and basketball, but as we know things circle back around. 90’s nostalgia is coming back. Basketball and the basketball lifestyle have evolved, but I think the biggest change has been social media by far. Social media has evened the playing field for consumers and for smaller brands. Can you imagine if social media was around for the “ Mixtape Tour” days ? We still were able to bring the streetball culture to the masses worldwide but just imagine if social media was around. Also, social media has now created influencers, who are now very important for companies. Gone are the days when smaller brands had to spend thousands of dollars on magazine ads and now social media is a lot less, but you’re reaching a bigger audience at a rapid pace. Equally, NIL has also changed things. Kids are learning the business of basketball (and sports) at an earlier age now. As I mentioned before, kids are starting to market themselves as a brand earlier and now every kid has a mixtape now of their highlights. AAU and high school games and players are getting more TV coverage and are just as popular and have a big fan base like professional players. Again social media has opened so many new doors in this way.

In your role as Global Brand Director and Head of Sports, what is your outlook on high school, youth, and AAU basketball in general? How do you know which school or club team might be the best fit to partner with AND1?

High school basketball, youth, and AAU basketball are so important to us because we are reaching the younger generation and educating them about the AND1 brand, while tapping into what’s going on in real time. These kids are not only the new consumers. They are also the next influencers, NBA, and WNBA stars. Part of my job is knowing who those up and coming players are from streetball to the league, men’s and women’s. When choosing a high school team or club team we think about different variables. The region that we are looking to highlight, the history of the team (some teams we’ve had a past history with and wanted to revisit.) Teams that have up and coming players, teams that are entrenched in their communities, are just a few things that I look for.

We Got Next: From the ground up, AND1 is securing a bright future as a brand by outfitting boys and girls basketball teams with customized jerseys and uniforms. | Dexter Gordon

What’s the most challenging aspect about working with either high schools or AAU teams on being part of the AND1 family?

The most challenging aspect is that there are so many high schools and AAU programs around the country and finding the right programs that align with our brand ethos.

For the past seven years, AND1 has held the annual Philly High School Classic. You mentioned Simon Gratz earlier. How have you seen that yearly event grow? And can people expect more of these kinds of city-specific high school basketball tournaments?

The Philadelphia High School Basketball Classic that we’ve had at Gratz has been great. It’s grown every year that we’ve had it. It takes place around MLK day every year, so we have teams calling us to participate every year. The gym is packed, the games are exciting, and it’s just a great atmosphere for high school basketball. We have plans to expand and have more city specific events for girls and boy’s basketball.

What are you excited about the most about the future work AND1 is doing as a brand?

We have so many cool and exciting things planned for the future. We are really excited about our HBCU platform. We are introducing HBCU culture and schools to high school players. We have an event called “ Ballin HBCU” that we sponsor. Ballin HBCU founder Rachel Naughton created this event that selects boys and girls student athletes from across the country to not only compete in two highly competitive games, but also teaching and informing kids about HBCU culture. We are also working on our NIL platform with Naughton as well.

We are growing our AAU platform with our circuit called the AND1 Connect League. We will be expanding and doing more on the girls' basketball front too. We have plans to expand with more sponsored high school teams, events, camps, and clinics. We have our grassroots platform( Park pull ups and our 1v1 platform-AND1 Island).We are bringing back AND1 Entertainment which will have some great things under that umbrella (TV, movies, video games, mix tapes.) We have our community initiatives (Paint the Parks, Give Backs, etc.) through our nonprofit, The AND1 Foundation. We will be signing more brand ambassadors from streetball to the pros. We have some exciting retro and new products that will be hitting the market. We are so thrilled for the future and to continue paying homage to our rich history and culture, while also moving forward and creating this bridge to the new generation of basketball players.

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