And1 Mix Tape Tour: Asia-Pacific (2006)

Japan, Hong Kong (but not shown), the Philippines, New Zealand, and Australia: And1: Asia Pacific Tour is as much a basketball exhibition as a cultural one, from the corporate madness that is Japan to the third-world ghettos of the Philippines.

Three things stand clear from this video: 1) Helicopter must have, pound for pound, inch for inch, the best vertical of ANY And1 player EVER, and this video showcases that; 2) Aaron "AO" Owens is the most accurate passer I've ever seen not in the NBA; 3) a lot of these players can be complete, hypocritical beyotches.

Case in point: It's ok to push and shove your opponent, rip their shirt off, and throw a ball in their face...but when they do it to you, you hold your face as though you're hurt? C'mon, even Jordan acknowledged that risk, saying, after Allen Iverson famously crossed him over, that you burn and you get burned--it's the risk of it all. Alimoe, despite his amazing skills that come back in this video, is a big practitioner of "I can do it to you, but you can't do it to me." Hot Sauce, not present, is next on the list.

Highlights:
- Spyda and Helicopter each get a local in Australia and play "you try to dunk on me, then I'll try to dunk on you." Ridiculous when you think that the opponents know what type of shot is coming.
- A Filipino kid PUNKS Alimoe majorly, and pulls a move that has to be in the Top 10 of the exhibition moves (meaning moves taken from the Rucker tournament or in-game somewhere, are on a whole 'nother level).
- 50's winning dunk in the Spyda (New Skool) v. 50 (Old Skool) Dunk Off.
- End Credits. This features some nasty trick shots, and starts off with a hilarious interview by AO of a guy who says he's Chinese (looks like it), but was born in Mauritius, which is off the coast of Africa, but grew up in India. AO spins him silly like he does players on the court, asking constantly if he's Indian or African.

It's worth your money, finally. The players are new, with new moves, traveling to places where their opponents haven't been overexposed to the AND1 phenomenon. The crowds are genuine and excited, as is the intensity of most of the games.
My new favorite, since the Vol. 1-4 DVD.

Buy at amazon: And1 Mix Tape Tour: Asia-Pacific