"He's the guy," said Jude Hollywood Thomas, a Southern California player who also goes by the name "Hollywizzle" and now promotes games. "That first tape was the whole reason for 'streetball.' "
And1 eventually made sequels and sponsored nationwide tours, streetballers barnstorming from city to city. ESPN cameras started following the "And1 Mixtape Tour" for a television series.
"It was the time of my life," Alston said. "We'd go to different places and they treated us like rock stars."
That wasn't the case in the NBA. Basketball purists considered "streetball" an abomination, and Alston started to wonder if pro coaches agreed. He spent three years with the Milwaukee Bucks but said, "I never really got the opportunity to play." Then came a return to the minor leagues and a mediocre season with the Toronto Raptors in 2002.
"I had to prove that I had another dynamic to my game, other than the fancy ball-handling, the fancy passing," Alston said.
Spreading the dream
No one on the Orlando team looked good in Game 1 on Thursday night. The Magic shot poorly and could not stop Kobe Bryant, losing by an embarrassing 25 points.
Even so, something about Alston set him apart. He darted from one spot to another, zipping passes, quicker than everyone else on the floor but still in control.
"He can make one-handed touch passes with either hand," Odom said. "He's incredible with the basketball."
No one questions that Alston belongs in the NBA. Not when he's considered a steal at a reported salary of $5.2 million next season.
His big break arrived in 2003 when he earned a starting spot in Miami. Next came stints in Toronto and Houston, then a February trade to Orlando, which needed help after point guard Jameer Nelson suffered a shoulder injury.
Alston responded by averaging 12 points and 5.1 assists down the stretch, including 26 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
"He wasn't Rafer Alston, he was the playground legend 'Skip to My Lou,' " Orlando center Dwight Howard said that night. "When he plays like the playground legend, he's tough to guard."
Now, with Nelson returning to action, playing about half of Game 1, Alston's role remains unclear for the remainder of the series. This much is certain: The "streetball" populace will be watching.
The upstart sport is probably on its sixth generation of "Skip disciples," according to Purvy of And1. These young fans like seeing one of their own on the big stage.
"This is huge for us," said streetball player Thomas. "It's huge for all the kids in the middle schools and high schools because they're his biggest crowd, watching the mixtapes."
Alston talks about being an inspiration for these kids, "growing up the way I grew up in New York City, playing in playgrounds every day, just having that dream."
He realizes they're watching. And they know his real name.
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david.wharton@latimes.com
