Want to be a better basketball player? Take it to the streets, says ‘The Professor’

As cliche as it may be, the Philippines is undoubtedly a basketball nation.

Hoops can be found nearly everywhere, with rims usually nailed to trees, electric posts, to any tall object within reach.

This unique environment makes the Philippines an incubator for streetball, the field where Grayson “The Professor” Boucher made his name.

Who Is “The Professor”?

Grayson Boucher, 41, is a professional streetball player and content creator who rose to fame through the AND1 Mixtape Tour, a showcase of streetball skills in the early 2000s.

Over the weekend, “The Professor” visited Manila for a series of events with shoe brand Anta. During his stop, he interacted with local players and shared stories about his journey in basketball such as how he started with streetball and how he got famous.

According to AND1 website, Boucher joined the brand in 2003. “His streetball reputation grew to legendary heights after hitting a game-winner at Madison Square Garden during the 2003 Tour,” the brand said.

“I started out as a fan, actually. When I was I think a freshman or a sophomore in high school, I started seeing the AND1 mixtapes,” Boucher said.

“So I won the reality show and then my career started, that was 2003. And then the wave of AND1 kind of started implementing streetball around the world, made it more like a global thing,” he said.

How do the streets form better players?

Streetball is different from organized basketball—there are differences in surface, rules, and even playing style which make it a unique training ground.

So how can streetball help aspiring players elevate their game?

“I think the streets help you master the craft. I think it helps you be more creative,” Boucher said in an exclusive interview with GMA News Online.

“I think like a lot of NBA players [or those in] the highest level plays [had] some form of streetball coming up, whether it was just pickup or going to the court, but I think you can gain toughness, right?” he said.

According to Boucher, many young players can also learn from streetball.

“The kids need streetball nowadays and I’m not saying like my moves per se. I’m just saying like going to the park and playing and being tougher or playing with people older or better than you.”

“They need that, you know, being more gym rats and more streetball-oriented. I think that would benefit the game a lot personally.”

—JMB, GMA Integrated News