AND 1 History

The monikers may be unusual but The Franchise, Lottery, T-Gunn, Sugar and Money are the force behind AND 1, the eleven-year old basketball apparel company that has made its mark in the industry with trend-setting trash talk and a faceless, raceless icon known as The Player. While the Franchise built the team, the unifying factor has been, is, and always will be an abiding passion for basketball and the people who play it, from the rough and tumble pick up devotees to the grace and showmanship of professionals. AND 1's icon is the ultimate basketball player; a faceless and raceless athlete to whom power and perfection is ascribed by all. The Player concept was developed by the partners and designed in collaboration with an artist in Philadelphia. With the trash talking slogans like, "Call 911, I'm on fire," "You're game's as ugly as your girl" and "Here's $5, go buy a game," AND 1 began with an attitude that has yet to be replicated by any other company. "AND 1" You get fouled, you score anyway. AND 1! Two points for the basket AND 1additional free throw. (If you don't know what AND 1 means then don't wear our gear.) AND 1 made its mark with the trash talk tees and hook ups that included bigger, baggier, shorts--a better short at a better price--and expanded its apparel line to include head to ankle apparel. "Back in the day" 1996: a milestone year in AND 1's history. AND 1 defies odds by designing and introducing its first shoe- the Stephon Marbury. Since '96 AND 1 has created innovative footwear for the ball player- both on and off the court. In 1999 AND 1 introduced its off-court shoe, the ToChillin that sold out of stores across the country. In 2000 AND 1 introduced the first technology created specifically for the ball player- the Mad Game Mid. What's next? When Marbury was drafted in (Minnesota Timberwolves, 1996) AND 1 signed the rookie to a multi-year deal. When Latrell Sprewell, four-time NBA All-Star returned to the league after his suspension AND 1 signed him and launched one of the most acclaimed advertising campaigns-the American Dream. Since that watermark moment, AND 1 has aggressively sought out over 70 NBA athletes that represent the brand with attitude and currently outfits over 20% of the League. With this large a presence on the highest performing athletes in the world and the attitude of streetball to back it up, AND 1 represents the ballplayer better than any other brand out there. You see it in our products, you hear it in our voice, I BALL. AND 1 products are available at top line specialty retailers, including Champs, FootAction, Foot Locker and Finish Line and selected independent retailers across the country. AND 1 also has international distribution in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Caribbean Islands, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Ireland, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Venezuela and Wales. Since 98% of all high school athletes will not receive an athletic scholarship, let alone get to the NBA, AND 1 donates five percent of its profits to charities with an emphasis on youth and education. Donations since 1993 have totaled over $1.3 million dollars including over $200,000 to September 11 Disaster Relief Funds. AND 1 is a privately held company and does not release information on annual sales. .