How A Street Baller Humiliated Every Defender In The NBA

street ball A variation of basketball that is known for players showing off their creativity craziest dunks and most incredible moves it's a game where humiliating your opponent is the main objective which makes you think that street Ballers could never do well in a professional environment like the NBA right well what if I told you that there was one street baller who was so good that he did The Impossible a player who not only made it to the NBA but also humiliated The Defenders with the same moves he used during his Street walk career this Legend is Raa oltin and to find out how he went from being a street baller to making the NBA Finals we have to go back to 1989 a young raer olon is 13 years old living in Jamaica Queens New York amongst one of the worst epidemics in the history of the United States just walking down the street to play basketball is a massive risk for Austin but this never stopped him Rafer would spend his days dreaming of hearing his name called in the NBA draft Raper Austin just like his tile Isaiah Thomas to replicating his moves on the concrete courts of New York until one day when everything changed for oltin Stefon Marbury Austin's best friend and himself would head down to Rucka Park where the pair knew they would be able to witness some incredibly high level basetball however today was different Ron nerio a local high school coach was down two players and if he didn't fill those spots his team would have to Forfeit luckily for Coach nicerio he saw two familiar faces in the crowd Austin and and Mary would sit patiently on the bench ecstatic to be sitting this close to the action until Coach Ron's players needed a rest Rafer would enter the game and showcase a repertoire of incredible moves against grown men the MC shocked by what he was seeing grabbed his mic and announced this kid is the Energizer in the summer of the following year the Energizer became a regular at rocka Park the now 14-year-old was pulling out insane move after move and he decided he wanted to wow the audience with something different and I jumped out my seat and I said ladies and gentlemen boys and girls this new name Skip to Malo however while the newly dubed skip to Milo was dominating the streets he was struggling in another area of his life because it wasn't just other basketball players that raer and his friends idolized no it was kingpins like Peewee Kirkland that they looked up to because just like the majority of his peers olon grew up in extreme poverty and with his father falling victim to the substance abuse epidemic and his older brother in jail oltin was often out until the early hours of the morning playing dice occasionally earning himself $1,500 a night however this is where issues would begin for raer you see he would often wake up in the middle of the day and given that he had to take two buses to get to his high school Benjamin Cardoza Austin often ended up missing classes for days on end as a result of this throughout his Junior and senior Seasons raer would average 33 points a game but he only played a grand total of 10 games his attendance meant that he was academic Al ineligible skip dreaming of playing division one basketball like his Idol would check his mailbox every day waiting for the same letter Stan had been receiving yet D1 colleges just weren't interested Philip Matthews the head coach at Ventura County a junior college in California had received a VHS tape from New York intrigued he played the tape and would watch an awe shocked that the player he was watching wasn't being recruited by high major division one colleges and Philip knew what he had to do in his first game under coach Matthews raer would only score two points his head coach forced him to showcase the other side of skip to myo as olon would record 13 assists and this wasn't all because during another regular season game he was only three points shy of a triple double with 10 assists seven points and a mindboggling 10 steals leading Ventura to a California State title with raer being named as the tournament MVP but had he really changed because shortly after their Championship winning season ended skip scholarship was revoked why well his grades had seen a massive rise with oltin opting to study psychology but his treny continued resulting in Raa olon being back in the exact same position he was just a year ago Jerry tanian the head coach at Fresno State a division one college in California had three point guards who were all set to leave at the end of the 1996 1997 season so coach tanian had a problem to solve of his upcoming point guard hle tanian would sit down with someone he had seen dominate Adventura County and offer him a full division one scholarship but he had one condition throughout the 1996 1997 season skip would have to attend another Junior College Fresno City where his main focus would be addressing his off the- court issues while Fresno city was nowhere near as successful as Ventura on the court Rafer understanding this was his final chance to turn his life around would dominate the class room he attended every single class steadily improving his grades as the season progressed and coach tanian would keep his promise Rafer was just one step away from achieving his childhood dream nothing could get in his way or so he thought throughout his first division one season olon averaged 11 points while throwing 7. 3 assists per game on top of this his defensive ability allowed coach tanian to implement a full court press helping Fresno State to win 21 games raer had proven into the world that while skip to milu was a part of who he was it was ultimately just a nickname given to him by n MC and in fact Austin was an NBA level point guard who decided to forego his senior season at Fresno State to enter the NBA draft but had he done enough August of 1993 a fresh basketball brand has just entered the Air Jordan dominated Market named and won while Nike was focused on selling shoes and one initially began by selling T-shirts geared towards street ball players rather than the general population and by 1996 they had signed their first professional athlete in similar fashion to coach Matthews a VHS tape would land on the desks of the an1 executives and given that they were planning on shaking up the basketball landscape they knew exactly what they had to do so ski to my Loop alongside some other New York Street Ballers would travel around the United States playing against other Ci's best street ball teams their goal showcase a unique style of basketball one that removes some of the most fun fundamental rules to allow room for more creativity highlights and embarrassment during his pre-draft period skip had shown that Not only was he a legitimate NBA Prospect but he was also one of the best and most exciting street ball players to ever step foot onto the black top however with NBA Executives being highly focused on Rafer every move was this really the best decision June 24th 1998 Rafer is sitting inside a restaurant in Los Angeles as NBA Commissioner David Stern begins to read out the first round draft picks due to playing his Collegiate basketball in California Los Angeles Lakers general manager Jerry West had seen a lot of raer in college and he needed to find a solid backup point guard for his newly formed super team therefore oltin was invited for two private pre-draft workouts and he assumed it would be the Lakers calling his name with the 23rd pick in the 1998 NBA draft the Denver Nuggets select teron Lou from the University of Nebraska with a 26th pick in a 1998 NBA draft the Los Angeles Lakers select Sam Jacobson from the University of Minnesota however despite Los Angeles choosing to go with another point guard skip wasn't bothered because his real Hometown team the New York Knicks after losing to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 1998 playoffs were also in need of a backup point guard on top of this they had been scouting Austin since he was 13 years old even going so far as sending Scouts to California to watch his Collegiate games with the ninth pick in the second round of the NBA draft the New York Nick select DeMarco Johnson University of North Carolina Charlotte yet again skip had been lied to but why well NBA teams were worried about his offc court actions because Rafer had been involved in a domestic violence incident and had failed to attend his mandatory anger management classes this treny resulted in the point guard potentially facing jail time or a hefty fine and this wasn't all NBA teams were worried about selecting Rafa olon but getting skipped to My Lou the draft would go to an ad break as Rafa sat alone and upset but once the draft returned this happened with the 10th pick in the second round of the NBA draft the Milwaukee Bucks select raer Austin from fres no State I like what Kenny Smith said about this guy John Thompson said he can dribble through a keyhole what's what's your take on rer a Kenny Smith would have taken him first his enthusiasm is is Milwaukee uh looking that's a tough Club to make now when you think of you know Brandon and Perry you know so you he's going to go in there now he's going to have a fight on his hands to make this glove however despite selecting Austin the buck decided not to offer him a contract for the 1998 1999 season resulting in olon being unable to pay the $225,000 fine he was required to donate to a woman's Refuge shelter therefore olon would spend 90 days in jail throughout what should have been his first NBA season raer would lay in herself cell reflecting on all the other New York Street Bo Legends who had made it this far such as Peewee Kirkland who had been picked by the Chicago Bulls but had failed to ever step foot onto an NBA floor given that his rookie contract with the Bucks wasn't guaranteed he was going to have to make some dramatic changes if he was ever going to achieve his dream therefore skip decided to play in the NBA development league which at the time was known as the CBA for the Idaho Stampede his goal wasn't to dominate instead Rafer knew that he had to show the NBA he was capable of being Rafer olon because it was clear to him that his street image had been itched into the brains of NBA Executives throughout his 17 games for the Stampede Milwaukee would begin to understand what Austin truly had to offer therefore right before the 1999 2000 season began they would sign Rafer to a 2year deal however would he actually play or was he destined to just be another Street Bo Legend who never saw the court February 17th 2000 after finally being placed in the lineup after months of hard work olon would make his NBA debut scoring his first points on a pull-up jump shot and 2 months later on April 19th he would score in double digits scoring 10 points in the Buck's final regular season game however this would be the only positive for quite a while the Milwaukee Buck and head coach George Carl had little playing time for a developing NBA point guard their focus was competing for an NBA championship however starting point guard Sam Cassell injured his ankle late in the 20012 2002 season olon would start in his place and begin to show glimpses of who he could become scoring 14 points against the Sacramento Kings and having two 10 assist games in the five games he was able to start so with his contract up for Renewal it seemed likely that raford would be bought back by the Bucks into a larger true backup point guard role however this was far from the truth with Milwaukee choosing not to resign alustin and it wasn't just the buck who weren't interested because despite Golden State signing him he was ultimately cut just before the season began so was this the end of Skip to My Lou's NBA career the mobile rers were a brand new team in the NBA's brand new league the NBA D-League and it was here where rord would once again showcase his true abilities as an NBA point guard skip had yet again shown the NBA world who he truly was and on January 9th something incredible would happen Lenny Wilkins another point guard from New York who paved his way to a 15-year NBA career was named as the Toronto Raptor head coach before the 200 2001 season began given his Heritage Wilkins was always aware of the upcoming New York point guards and he much like Jerry tanian saw something no one else did therefore rord would sign with the Raptors on a 10-day contract knowing that this was his final chance to prove to the NBA that he could run a team skip would drop 17 points in his debut game and throw 11 assists in his third averaging 10. 7 points six assists and one steal throughout his 10-day contracts Toronto had found a diamond in the rough so on January 20th Rafer was signed for the remainder of the 2002 2003 NBA season Austin had finally achieved his lifelong dream he was a legitimate NBA point guard and this wasn't all because he was given the starting point guard role in their final three games that season where he would average 20.

3 points 7. 8 assists 6. 3 rebounds and 1.

3 steals per game however had he done enough to sign another NBA deal or would he have to return to the D-League once again June 26 2003 the Miami Heat have just selected Dwayne Wade with their fifth pick and would sign free agent Lamar odm a few months later to pair with their 2002 top pick Karan Butler and heat president Pat Riley wasn't done you see he knew his talented group of Fords would need a solid floor general and this wasn't the only positive because within head coach Dan Van gundy's system skip would get a chance to Showcase another ability no one thought he had because late in a regular season game against Dallas this happened it's Austin this is for the win it's everyone knows you as a slam dunk guy as a fancy street ball player when did you become I'm a shooter I've been working on it uh every summer working on it when I get in the training camp work on it every day in practice uh it's a shot that they give it they give it to me night in night out no one no one has no one gives me respect in this league yet but this wasn't all because thanks to Pat Riley's Vision the heat added 17 wins to their record earning them the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference however would Rafer game translate to the playoffs game one of their first round matchup against the New Orleans Hornets saw Rafer continue with his Off the Bench role he played a vital 19 minutes hitting big three after big three as well as this vital pull-up jump shot he fir yes raer Al with a big bucket Miami leads by six thanks to Rafer play Miami secured a game one Victory and it looked likely that they would be the team to move on however alon's minutes would take a nose dive going from 32 per game during the regular season to 21 throughout their seven game series victory Tory against the Hornets and this negative Trend only got worse during their second round matchup against the Indiana Pacers things began in a similar fashion olon would see a massive increase in his minutes playing 35 in game one allowing him to score 17 points and 36 minutes in game two where he would throw five assists but in the same fashion to their Hornet series skips minutes took a sudden decline only playing an average of 16 per game over Games 3 4 5 and six Indiana would defeat the heat four games to two and raer had a huge decision to make because the heat were interested in retaining his backup Point Guard Services they valued his ability to catch and shoot and be an extension of coach Van Gundy however another NBA team had a starting point guard role that needed to be filled as well as a guaranteed 6-year contract the Toronto Raptors Austin was conflicted if he stays in Miami he will likely be competing for an NBA championship as shortly after their season ended they traded for the most dominant big man in the history of the NBA Shaquille O'Neal yet if he signs with Toronto he would be their starting point guard no longer having to spend full possessions standing in the corner but it's likely the Raptors would completely miss the playoffs July 29th 2004 Robert Babcock has just signed the missing piece for his 2004 2005 roster head coach Sam Mitchell Babcock believes coach Mitchell is the perfect pair with his freshly signed point guard ra for Austin as promised skip was finally a starting NBA point guard he would average 34 minutes per game 14. 2 points 6. 4 assists and 1.

5 steals throughout the 2004 2005 season while his new role gave him more minutes it also gave him freedom to express the other side of his game Rafer was now able to bring out skip to milu Moore wowing fans and embarrassing his Defenders atin however everything wasn't all positive for raer Toronto would only win 33 games that season and Coach Mitchell would often use degrading language towards his players skip had also set some new goals not only had he been drafted into the NBA he had worked his way into a starting point guard role so he set his sights on playing for a team with championship intentions officially requesting a trade from the Toronto Raptors Jeff Van Gundy the head coach of the Houston Rockets was chatting to his brother former Miami Heat head coach Stan about what needed to be done to improve their roster because Houston had been eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in only the first round of the playoffs in the 2004 2005 NBA season Stan pointed out that they needed to find a legitimate floor General to help mesh the rocket star players Tracy McGrady and Ying together as well as a player who could be relied upon to carry some of the offensive load if any of the star players were out and Stan knew just the player mik James no not that one was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Stan's former backup point guard just before the 2005 2006 season began Rafer had got his wish whilst alon's scoring was vital for the Rockets averaging 12. 1 points per game it was something else that Rafer provided which much like his shooting was often overlooked by those in and around the NBA you see a key part of the street ball game is scoring and embarrassing Defenders yes but another huge aspect is the flashy passes so whilst raer was known for embarrassing Defenders with his ball handling he often dissected defenses with his passing shots inside all arms and elbows down low McGrady nice move to the getting the ball to his All-Star teammates with flash and flare great pass to Tac to the right much like he did in Rocka Park however Houston faced some key issues Yao Ming there 7 foot6 2002 number one pick struggled with constant foot injuries and this wasn't Tracy McGrady a six-time Allstar that was the focal point of the Rockets offense was in and out of the lineup with similar issues to Yao Houston would fail to make the NBA playoffs in the 2005 2006 season but that was all about to change January 17th 2007 the Phoenix Suns led by the reigning 2005 2006 NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash were in town for a regular season game but nothing was regular about this matchup for for Austin no he would embarrass Steve Nash he had hurt him Austin going to the basket lays it up and in great F by rer shifting him with Street ballis moves making him fall on a jab and rope Austin good job taking side and boy he F and scoring over him with ease ending the game with an incredible 29 Points oh good move by Raper Austin and he used the B April 14th 2007 this time the Oklahoma City Hornets yes the Hornets played in Oklahoma City were in town led by their past first point guard Chris Paul however this would be rers night skip would throw an incredible 13 assists throughout one of their final regular season games with each dime helping Houston to grab an 11-point Victory speaking of W's Houston had turned things around with both McGrady and yeling healthy and Rafer leading the offense Houston would win 52 games earning them the fifth seed in the western conference it was finally time for raer to guide his team to an NBA title their first step defeat the Utah Jazz May 5th 2007 Utah has tied the series after a vital game six Victory meaning whoever wins this game will be the team to move on to the second round Utah and Houston would exchange bucket for bucket both team Stars trying desperately to gain an edge however it would be the Rockets hitting home after a devastating four-point loss to the Jazz olon had failed to achieve his goal and the person who brought him to the Rockets would pay shortly after Rafa's former head coach left the team Houston had decided to hire another coach who had just been let go the former Sacramento Kings head coach brick Adelman olon who had been in this exact situation before wondered if it would just end up like his second stint with the Raptors or would this change be exactly what his team needed March 16th 2008 the Houston Rockets have just solidified themselves in the NBA record books thanks to a career high performance from skip you see over the past 2 months Houston hasn't lost a single game and thanks to a 31o performance from Rafer they would win their 22nd game in a Row the fourth highest win streak in the history of the NBA thanks to this incredible streak the Rockets would win 55 games and Austin was ready to get revenge in their first round match up against you guessed it the Utah Jazz however Houston had a problem because during their NBA record win streak they would lose one of their most important pieces to injury due to Ying's absence Houston would once again be eliminated by the Utah jazs this time in just six games skip was devastated but it was another injury that would completely change Skip to My lose career forever Stan Van Gundy who had been acquired by the Orlando Magic from the Miami Heat in exchange for a second round pick to become their head coach in June of 2007 has has just watched his All-Star point guard go down with a shoulder injury halfway through the 2008 2009 season Stan was shocked Orlando had been so dominant That season their Superstar big man Dwight Howard was having an MVP level year and it seemed likely that they would be the team to make it out of the Eastern Conference but not without a point guard coach Van Gundy knew he had to find someone to replace J Nelson and after talking to his brother he knew exactly who to call so on the 20th of February 2009 Rafa olon was traded to the Orlando Magic to fill in for the injured jir Nelson skip had finally got his chance to be on an NBA championship contending team one that aside from Nelson was 100% healthy and primed for a deep playoff run but was raer actually capable of leading his team to a playoff series Victory or were all the critics right in saying that skip was just a street baller trying to be an NBA player rather than an incredible professional point guard that just so happens to have played street ball throughout their firstr matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers alustin averaged an impressive 15. 2 points 4.

8 assists and 1. 2 steals in their six-game Victory Rafer had shown that he was more than capable of leading his team to a playoff series Victory but he alongside his magic teammates were hungry for a championship however their next opponent wasn't a young team that was just happy to have made the playoffs no they were set to face the defending NBA champions the Boston Celtics this would be Skip's first real test against arguably the best point guard in the NBA That season ran Rondo yet it wasn't Rondo who tested Rafa throughout their first two games you see YY house was on fire during game two scoring an incredible 31 points off the bench and after he hit a tough long two against skir Rafer would slap him did you say something to make Rafer slap you in the head no I just made a shot and I think that you know that's what happen when you start busting somebody they get upset like that and and resort to to Bush League tactics oh no he didn't Skip to My L are you kidding me about that no way were you bringing that to the an1 Circuit hot sauce and headache would have eaten you alive for that dog Aon would be suspended for his actions during game three the time off allowed him an opportunity to reflect on how the NBA really viewed him because over the following week of games raer would dissect Boston's defense utilizing his incredible basketball IQ to find wide open Shooters pet no hesitation he's hit two outside shots in a row his incredible passing ability to seam passes through impossible gaps racing the floor finding Howard and get into a Skip to My L bag of tricks when it was needed for some crucial buckets things maybe get a little out of hand in the second half mark thanks David aome firing one meaning despite the series going all the way to game 7 it was Orlando who would be moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals May 20th 2009 the 2008 2009 NBA most valuable player has just scored his 48th and 49th Point LeBron James has given his Cleveland Cavaliers a 2-point lead with 25. 8 seconds remaining Austin's incredible 8 assist performance was mere seconds away from meaning nothing a half differential between the game clock and shot clock Cavaliers up by two Lewis pops it out to kallo Lewis for three yes Orlando has taken a however LeBron wasn't finished he wanted nothing more than another opportunity to win The elusive NBA championship he had been fighting for since he entered the NBA in 2003 therefore over the next five games James averaged a mindboggling 36 points 8.

8 rebounds and eight assists but was this enough to get his Cavaliers over the line because Austin continued his point guard domination hitting insane step back jumpers over LeBron SE and that that includes hitting teammate oh Austin moving P him with a lovely Euro STI got to block out your man oh Austin able to get right to the rim and finding his wideopen teammates with Incredible Precision Rafer was truly showing the NBA world that Not only was he a leg J starting point guard but a flaw General capable of taking his group to the NBA finals which is exactly what he had done but would he be able to achieve his true dream of winning an NBA title June 17th 2008 the Boston Celtics have just defeated Kobe Bryant and his Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals by an embarrassing 39 points in game six Bryant was devastated he had struggled to even make the playoffs since his Superstar teammate Shaquille O'Neal had left the Lakers in 20 04 and his first opportunity to win his fourth ring inching him closer to overtaking his Idol Michael Jordan had been ruined by Boston therefore Bryant was a man possessed throughout the 2008 2009 season averaging 26.