Shraman Mitra
If you are an ardent follower of basketball, Netflix’s ‘Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1’ will appeal to you as it follows the sportswear company AND1 through its initial years and even documents its sudden downfall. Apart from giving its competitors a run for their money when it came to sportswear, AND1 also put together a street basketball team and organized the AND1 Mixtape Tour.
AND1 Mixtape Tour is a basketball competition and exhibition designed to increase the company’s reach. Interestingly, basketball legend Waliyy Dixon, aka Main Event, was an integral part of the tour and was involved with AND1 for about four years. Let’s take a look at Waliyy’s life and find out where he is at present, shall we?
Who Is Waliyy Dixon?
A native of Linden, New Jersey, Waliyy Dixon aka Main Event, like most of his AND1 teammates, fell in love with basketball from a young age. In fact, he would spend hours on the basketball court and kept honing his talent throughout his growing years. Interestingly, the basketball legend became quite famous in high school when the New York City-based publisher Steet & Smith named him an All-American. Subsequently, he even won the Reebok National Slam Dunk Contest while playing for his school’s senior team.
Naturally, with basketball being Waliyy’s first love, the sportsman chose to attend New Jersey’s Rutgers University, where he was an integral part of their men’s basketball team. However, even though his stats as a college player was quite decent, Waliyy never received the exposure and success he achieved in his school days. Nevertheless, he kept gaining experience and waited for the perfect opportunity.
Interestingly, Waliyy’s involvement with AND1 began way back in 1994 when clips of his game featured in ‘AND1 Mixtape Volume 1.’ However, his association became more hands-on in 1999, when he began working with the company to bring other street basketball players into the team. Besides, Waliyy also joined the AND1 squad and played in the AND1 Mixtape Tour from 2002 to 2006.
Waliyy Dixon Continues to Contribute in the Field of Basketball
After leaving AND1 in 2006, Waliyy decided to gather a few of his old teammates and start a basketball tour similar to the AND1 Mixtape Tour. The new tour, Ball4Real, was founded in 2007 but did not receive much traction in the scene. However, the basketball legend was reluctant to leave the scene. Thus, Waliyy, along with other street basketball stars, established Serving Knowledge to Youth or SKY, which currently operates as a Streetball Syndicate.
At present, Waliyy resides in his hometown of Linden, New Jersey, and works as the Vice President of Player Development at SKY, through which he organizes community outreach programs and exhibition basketball tours. On the other hand, Waliyy is also associated with the Black Top Streetball Association and has appeared in several sports documentaries, along with the Adam Sandler-led film ‘Hustle.’
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