And1 Star Explains Why He Prefers Streetball Over NBA

Grayson Boucher, best known for his streetball name “Professor” never managed to play for the NBA but is content with where he is these days.

With his incredible ballhandling skills and eye-popping moves, many have been wondering why And1 Mixtape Tour star Boucher isn’t playing in the NBA.

According to the man himself, “three things” sum up his botched NBA run–lack of college basketball experience, politics in the league, and his passion for streetball.

“I’ll say three things about this. First off, I never had the resume for the NBA. In order to play in the NBA without Division One NCAA college basketball in your resume or without Division One overseas basketball in your resume, it’s gonna be like impossible,” Boucher said in a recent interview posted on his official Facebook page.

“I gave up my college eligibility as soon as I signed to play for money.”

“The second thing I’ll say is, the politics of the game were never on my side,” he added. “15, 20 years ago, when I was actually first getting on and trying to make the NBA, I played in some minor leagues (IBL and CBA). No matter how well I played the politics were never on my side. The higher-ups in the NBA looked at streetball as like ‘not real basketball,’ like a bad thing.”

“The third thing that I would say, and this could come as a surprise to many, is that I wouldn’t accept an NBA contract right now,” the 36-year-old revealed.

“I like what I do because this thing is isn’t even about money,” he continued. “It’s about inspiring and impacting the people and really just having a passion for what I do. And right now my passion is like to make dope —s videos for people.”

Boucher joined And1 when he was 18 and immediately became one of the most recognizable stars of the streetball team.

At present, Boucher now boasts an impressive 3.5 million followers on Facebook and is making quite a living by still doing what he does best.

Reflecting on the irony of how positive the impact of streetball is in today’s NBA, Boucher conceded that back then, he wasn’t even considered a true basketball player. But now, pro ballers and even coaches recognize him.

“It was way different back then,” the streetball legend reflected. “I got NBA players asking me to train them now, I got friends who are coaches.”