Streeball is one of the flashiest, fast-paced and exciting types of basketball around. While the term streetball initially meant basketball played outdoors on concrete streets and courts, it now refers more to a style of play focused on fancy dribbling, elaborate passing and spectacular dunking, rather than a specific location or setting.
Definition
Streetball is a variant of basketball that primarily developed over the years on outdoor playgrounds in urban metropolises like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Today, the term "streetball" doesn't so much describe an actual outdoor playing venue so much as a style of basketball play that is evocative of the streets---tough, gritty, creative and artistic, without the rigidity and polish of organized basketball. Most pickup basketball games are similar to streetball in that players are pseudo-randomly grouped into ad hoc teams, there are no referees, and rules are enforced less rigidly than in organized basketball. But to really be streetball, the players have to be good, and have a certain baller elan, combining high technical skills with maximum showmanship.
Rules
Streetball generally employs many of the rules of conventional basketball. You can't travel, double dribble, or commit excessively harsh offensive or defensive fouls. But otherwise, streetball rules tend to be considerably more lenient than regular basketball. If there is a referee, he probably will allow all kinds of elaborate dribbling maneuvers that would otherwise constitute a carry or other infraction in a normal game. While winning in streetball is important, looking good and potentially embarrassing one of your defenders with a clever crossover or pass fake is almost more important, and is certainly more exciting for the crowd. With these expectations in mind, referees at streetball games exist mostly to keep the peace between players rather than to enforce regulations as they would in the NCAA and NBA.
Famous Courts
One of the world's most famous streetball courts is Rucker Park in Harlem, New York, which was established in the early 1950s to give low-income residents something do in their free time. It has grown into the venue for the most famous streetball tournament in the world, held every summer on Rucker's outdoor courts. Venice Beach, California, offers some of the most well-known courts on the West Coast, and was made famous by the movie "White Men Can't Jump."
Famous Players
There have been many streetball legends through the decades, some of whom went on to wider prominence as stars in the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association. Julius Irving, Earl Monroe and Nate Archibald were all playground legends before going on to greater prominence in the big leagues of basketball. One of the most famous modern streetball players is a point guard named Rafer Alston, who first achieved fame by playing for the traveling basketball group called And1, under the stage name of Skip to My Lou.
Culture
Modern streetball is closely intertwined with modern rap and hip-hop. The streetball culture values player originality, individuality, improvisational skills, quickness and the ability to entertain a crowd, oftentimes even more than the ability to be a good teammate or lead the squad to victory.
Streetball Moves
Streetball is most famous for the elaborate tricks and dribble-drive moves of its best players. Some of the more well-known moves include the Tornado, Hurricane, Shamgod, and dozens of variations on the basic side-to-side crossover. One of the ultimate goals of streetball is being able to make the defender look foolish--also called "breaking his ankles"--by rapidly changing direction and making him lose his balance and possibly even fall.
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