Friends who love basketball know a noun: street ball!
Street ball, commonly known as "wild ball", originated in the United States.
In the United States, do you know how high streetball is fired?
Put it this way! From the president of the United States to the three-year-old children, they are loyal fans of street ball, their heartfelt love for street ball, and even many people take street basketball as a profession, which makes street ball almost synonymous with "sports + culture", as if it is a symbol of youth, freedom and cool in the eyes of Americans; In the United States, because the street basketball atmosphere is too hot, it not only cultivates a large number of excellent street players in the United States, but also attracts many long-established NBA players to invest in it.
At the same time, American street basketball has also spawned its own exclusive equipment.
These exclusive equipment brands, you may think that they are Nike, Adi, UA and other international sports brands, in fact, in the 1990s in the United States street ball development of the heyday, then under the Reebok sub-brand ATR (full name: Above the rim, Chinese name: basket above) street ball brand, especially popular in the street ball circle, this brand in the street ball field to what extent? 2005 Denver All-Star Game, the NBA's famous "hot chicken" Aaron Iverson, the man who singled out the peak Kobe Bryant + O'Neill OK combination, wore Reebok ATR The Pump boots on his feet and won the All-Star Game MVP trophy in one fell swoop, which shows the influence of ATR in the American streetball world.
Iverson 2005 Denver All-Star Game Boots: Reebok ATR The Pump
In addition to Iverson, ATR also has many well-known American streetball "fans", such as 1991 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest champion Dee Brown, who was the first official brand ambassador in ATR history; Many of the NBA's famous superstars, such as Yao Ming's "big brother" Steve Francis, who is well known Chinese, as well as NBA stars such as Ken Young Martin, Byron Davis, Jason Richardson, Jason Terry, Will Bynham, have joined ATR and are "hardcore fans" of ATR; Therefore, ATR occupies a pivotal position in the hearts of American street fans.
ATR not only has many American NBA celebrities endorsed, they have also held or sponsored many street ball events and activities, and since the establishment of the brand, they have spared no effort to continue to deepen the field of street basketball culture, laying the brand's deep street ball gene; ATR's streetball products exude the dry heat of the outfield cement floor and the atmosphere of hard-to-face confrontation between muscles, which are widely loved by American street fans.
Today, street basketball in the United States has developed into a mature model of "sports + culture + industry".
So, how is street ball culture developing in China?
China has the largest group of basketball fans in the world, of which the number of fans has reached a terrifying 482 million, which is more than the total population of the United States; These Chinese basketball fans are either watching the ball or playing on the road... Therefore, street basketball has a good mass base and market foundation in China.
At present, with the gradual improvement of domestic living and consumption level, China's street basketball has developed rapidly, and a large number of outstanding street ball players and grassroots Internet celebrity players have emerged in China, such as Zhou Rui, who is known as the "King of Wuhan Street Ball", Wu You, "the first person in Chinese street ball", Yi Jinhong, nicknamed "Yunnan Glider", Huang Yujun, "the first Internet celebrity of Chinese street ball", etc. Some of them are famous by founding or participating in street ball events, and some people are out of the circle by relying on a series of iconic dunk actions... Their continued popularity proves that the development of Chinese street ball is ushering in a "golden age".
In recent years, with the rise of short video communication means such as Douyin and Kuaishou, especially under the influence of street ball leaders such as Wu You, Huang Yujun, and Zhou Rui, more and more street ball players who are not willing to be mediocre and do not succumb to fate have emerged in China, who not only devote themselves to the street ball they love, but also through their own continuous efforts, tempering, and breakthroughs, they have changed their fate through the sport of street ball, and have driven more and more Chinese young people to fall in love with basketball and embark on the road of sports strengthening.
A closer look reveals that the street basket cultures in China and the United States have many different attributes. American street basketball focuses on cool movements, as well as passionate passion and hard work; Chinese street basketball is more focused on skill, cooperation and self-breakthrough. However, whether it is China or the United States, streetball represents a hobby, a sports passion to release young hormones, it is not only a sport, but also a culture.
Based on the rapid development of Chinese street ball and the continuous improvement of the demand for street ball equipment, many Chinese street ball players also hope to be in line with international standards in street ball equipment. It is precisely because of this market demand that in 2022, ATR officially landed in the Chinese market and reached a strategic cooperation with Jinjiang Xiyue Yue Duo E-commerce Co., Ltd. to meet the rapid development of Chinese street basketball and provide more professional and trendy street basketball sports equipment for Chinese street ball fans.
It is understood that after ATR enters the Chinese market, it not only plans to invite Chinese street golfers to participate in the design and development of ATR basketball shoes, but also localize and innovate and optimize its products; At the same time, it also plans to sign a well-known Chinese street ball player, become the image spokesperson of the ATR brand or the street ball culture promotion ambassador, and will spare no effort to support and sponsor the development of domestic street ball events and activities, spread the professional image of the ATR brand focusing on the development of street ball culture, so that more young Chinese fans like ATR and feel the trend charm of pure street ball culture brought by ATR.
Can ATR make more people like street basketball? Can ATR drive the upgrading of Chinese street ball equipment? In addition, we will comprehensively improve the level of street basketball equipment in China, so that more young people can wear shoes, clothing, accessories and other related products exclusive to street basketball, feel the joy of professional street basketball, and enjoy the integration experience of trend and sports...
All this, let's wait and see!