''Spyda Of Streetball Evolution Is On The Business Side Of''
- Sports Radio Boston
- Mar 22, 2015
- 2 min read
Spyda formerly of And1 Mix Tape is on this episode of The Business Side of Sports, talking about his latest project; Streetball Evolution. He, along with everyone on the And1 Mix Tape Tour, were blindsided by the sudden abandonment of the Tour when And1 was bought out. They all thought they were going to be a new type of Harlem Globetrotters, or at the very least they would have careers in some capacity with the once popular apparel line. That wasn’t the case.
Because of the sudden transition, Spyda was unprepared and even went through a period of depression. He didn’t let this keep him down, rather he
has now started Streetball Evolution. Streetball Evolution brings the athleticism and entertainment that the And1 Mix Tape Tour did, but they want to impact the community. Their purpose is to help bring awareness of mental illness in the community and provide a safe place to seek that help. They even plan to run mini-camps and take families on grocery shopping sprees!
Spyda is a former And1 baller and is now working on his own tour –Streetball Evolution – that will benefit the communities they go into. He was one of the big names on the tour, known for dunking then hanging on the rim like a spider. For those who have never seen a game, you cancheck them out here. They traveled around the world, showing off their game to. He was even on a line of Gatorade bottles in China.
When And1 went through a transition that entailed dropping the entertainment side, i.e., the MixTour was dropped. The players thought being athletes on the Tour would lead to a job with And1. Unfortunately, they were not a part of the business plan. The players found out they didn’t have jobs like they assumed they would, rather they were just a marketing tool. This left the team perplexed and unprepared for the next chapter in their lives that was unexpectedly thrust upon them.
After everything went down Spyda went through an overwhelming transition. Going from “world traveling ‘baller” to civilian was too much too fast, with no preparation. He described the experience as having the devil on one side and an angel on the other, leading to depression. He realized he needed an education and business acumen. He had to go back to the basics.
He went through a lot and his transition has compelled him to help others in transition by talking about his situation. He is appreciative of what he’s gone through and learned, and goes to parks and events talk about his experience. Spyda’s World wants to bring all the agencies in the mental health field to help others.
Streetball Evolution is more than just entertainment. They will come in two days before an event and do a talk with the local agencies to discuss what the community’s needs are. He lets them set up as vendors at the event to connect with the community.
Streetball Evolution has a similar set up as the And1 MixTape Tour. He wants it to be competitive and entertaining. He wants to get high school players involved, to have good competition to play against during the summer. They will give back everywhere they go such as running mini-camps and take afamily to the market for a shopping spree.
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