Converse Band of Ballers 2011 Recap

Last week Converse hosted the 3rd Band of Ballers tournament.  I was fortunate enough to connect Taylor McPherson aka TayTay_Fierce on twitter and you can follow her blog over here.

I recently attended the filming of MTV2 and Converses Celebrity Basketball Tournament, Band of Ballers. The event was held at La Salle Academy in Manhattan New York which happens to have a 100% graduation rate. Their were 5 teams competing for the title. Team Taylor Gang lead by Wiz Khalifa, Team YMCMB (Young Money Cash Money Billionaires) lead by Lil Twist, Team Brooklyn lead by Matt and Kim, and Team Swell lead by Chiddy Bang. Their were 2 original brackets and then a losers bracket from the first 2 games. The winner of the losers bracket played Jim Jones's team in their first game of the tournament. Which is ridiculous because you're making the best team play the worst team so the odds are completely stacked in one favor. (ed note: a nice reward for winning the first two Band of Ballers) The entire event was hosted by Sway from MTV and DJ'd by DJ D-Nyce. So it was a celebrity basketball tournament where none of the celebrities actually played in the games. They were pretty much only there for show. Not that I can say I'm surprised but I am on the other hand a little disappointed. When I asked people why they thought Wiz Khalifa wasn't playing the response unanimous that he must have been "in the clouds" and therefore unable to take the court. However there was one celeb who actually stepped up to the line so to speak, that celeb was Chiddy Bang. Chiddy Bang is new to the rap scene and has a very original sound, you may know his song Never Growing Up, which is mixed over MGMT's Kids. Chiddy Bang also holds the record for the longest free style ever. He once free styled for 9 hours straight. How do you even keep coming up topics for that long, and things that rhyme at the same time, that takes seriously talent. I got an official statement from Chiddy Bang himself on the tournament and it will be attached below. So overall it was a great day, it was catered with hot dogs and pretzels and italian ices, there's usually never food at these things, and especially free food. I had a really great experience and would love to go back next year. I also can't wait to see the finished product air on MTV in the very near future, check you local listing for times and dates and don't miss it!

 

Also check out some awesome pictures from StoneFace Photography

First is a picture of God Shammgod wearing his PE Star Player EVO and the next picture is of Jim Jones wearing the new Converse Defcon.  I hope to get some more info on this shoe soon.  You can also check out StoneFacePhotography.com for some of their other work.

 


Thanks for checking out the blog and remember to follow along on twitter @TheConverseBlog and on Facebook too.

Converse Join The Procession - The Commercial

Well it's finally here, leave your thoughts below. 




Here is the press release.

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (September 24, 2010) – Today, Converse announced its new Fall 2010 brand campaign entitled "The Procession" featuring product with the iconic Converse "Star Chevron" logo including the new Star Player Evo shoe. Developed to pay homage to legends of Converse’s past, present and future and to celebrate basketball along with the breadth of Converse product, the ad shines a light on the iconic Star Chevron mark and gives nod to its authentic connection to the worlds of sport, music and culture which has helped define Converse for decades.

"The new Converse campaign is the perfect summary of who we are as a brand. It’s a celebration of people from different cultures who are passionate about what they do, coming together to create a movement. Converse is a brand that can authentically blend culture in a way that makes perfect sense for how people view and connect to sport, music and culture today – without lines or barriers," says Converse CMO Geoff Cottrill.

Gritty and raw, the spot was directed by award-winning filmmaker Antoine Fuqua. The ad stars basketball legend Julius "Dr. J" Erving; Carlos Arroyo of the Miami Heat; musicians Jim Jones and Doug E Fresh; legendary ball-handler God Shammgod and Harlem streetball player Adrian "A-Butta" Walton; Converse skaters Kenny Anderson, Sammy Baca, Rune Glifberg and Eli Reed; all set to the thunderous "Hello Operator" by alternative rock band, The White Stripes. A unique fusion of all things Converse, "The Procession" speaks in a language that is clear to kids young and old who connect to the brand.

The ad is appropriately named "The Procession", as each of its cultural, torch-bearer stars symbolically pass the torch and give nod to each other. A true legend of basketball and one of culture, Dr J. and Doug E Fresh represent Converse’s heritage and the brand’s deep connection to sport, music and culture. Simultaneously, Carlos Arroyo, Jim Jones, the Converse skate team, and the others all forge the strong connection of how Converse connects today and for the future.

In addition to the ad, each of the stars are featured in a series of online vignettes taken from outtakes that illuminate their mutual admiration for each other and that blur the lines of sport, music and lifestyle. The resulting short clips showcase new cultural, iconoclastic moments including Kenny Anderson teaching Dr J a kickflip, and God Shammgod showing Sammy Baca how to do the "Shammgod", his signature crossover move.

"[Basketball]…it’s like a ritual. The basketball being the thing that brings everybody [together]. The rhythm and the beat," says director Antoine Fuqua. "Converse is taking it to the streets. The streets are the heart beat."

Converse basketball, skate and lifestyle footwear are featured in the ad, including the new Star Player Evo shoe, which represents the modern expression of Converse performance basketball. "The Procession" will be headlined by a national television spot that will launch Sunday, September 26 during FOX Television’s The Family Guy and nationally on major networks including Comedy Central, Black Entertainment Television, and TNT. Additionally, vignettes captured from out-takes of the ad will be featured on Converse.com and with select online media partners.

My Thoughts on the Converse Band of Ballers event...yes I am very late.

Info about Converse's Band of Ballers event broke just a day or so before the event. However by all accounts, mainly the amount of attention it has received online, it as a huge success.  It was extremely exciting to see pictures of people playing basketball covered from head to toe with the Chevron and Star.  I've got to get me some of those Chevron and Star shorts like yesterday.  I looked all over the Nevada Converse outlets this summer and neither of the 3 had any basketball shorts, so hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Here are some various pics of action from the event, The Jones Family, Jim Jones holding the fantastic Ball/Speaker trophy, and some action of a different nature.  

 

 

The team rosters played out like this...

TEAM  MEMBERS

Jones  Family
Jim Jones
Daniel Cruz  (friend)
Vaughn Heyliger (cousin)
Valient Jones (cousin)
David Julien  (cousin)

Pac Div
B. Young
Like
Mibbs
Steve Thornton  (Pac Div's Producer)

Mad Decent
Hassan (POPO)
Sean Agnew  (Promoter in Philly, friend of the label)
Nick (friend of  POPO)
Diplo
Zeb (POPO)

Fool's Gold
Nick Catchdubs  (label co-founder)
Dan Solomilo (manager of Donnis)
Jake Oshe  (promoter)
Donnis (artist)
Sammy Bananas (artist)
A-Trak was "the  coach"

Brooklyn Crew
Matt and  Kim
Ninjasonik
Theophilus London

Roth Boys
David  Appleton (Asher's producer)
Tom Boyd (friend)
Jason Salvador (tour  manager)
Brian Langley (Asher's hype man)
Scooter Braun  (manager)
Asher  Roth

All of that info came from a press email from Converse, but by far the most exciting thing from that email came in a description of the Converse Weapon EVO.

"The Weapon  was originally released in 1986 and made famous by Larry Bird  and Erving  “Magic”  Johnson. The sneaker became an icon among the basketball community. The Weapon Evo's design is very similar to the original Weapon but Converse has given it a sleeker look and added Converse Balls Technology in the heel."

 

 

Did you catch that, an official release from Converse that actually makes mention of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.  From my knowledge this is the first time in over 10 years that anything official from Converse has actually used their names.  I don't want to jump to conclusions or assume that there might be some involvement from them with Converse now, but I can't help be excited about the possibilities. 

I delayed the post on the event because I was wait for videos from Converse, but I'll post those when you go up at Converse.com.  That's it for today, check back Wednesday for more of The Converse Blog!  Follow us on twitter too!  @TheConverseBlog