K1X LOOK BOOK SPRING/SUMMER 2011

I guess it was the complete and utter fascination with the game's specifics that brought us together. Back then it was the way John Starks dwarfed the Bulls with that one dunk. Chuck's oversized personality. Oscar Schmidt's refusal to join the league. The Worm's hustle and post-outlet up-court jog. Billy Hoyle's understatement. Mike's "I got this" face. Petro celebrating each deep three like a game winner, the Reignman's lisp and Shaq's draft hype. First pick. Young Penny. Run TMC. Hoop Dreams. Scottie's reach, LJ's beard, C-Webb's shorts, Horry's rings and Seikaly's South Beach babes. The myth of Real Madrid's Arvydas Sabonis. AI's swag, Stockton yo-yo'ing at the 3pt. line and Oak's midrange J. A capacity crowd at the park. Sprewell vs. Coach Carlesimo. Buggin Out vs. "Larry". Bird's cameo in "Jump Around". Thunder Dan from downtown, KJ over the Dream and Zo posting up down low. Jesus Shuttlesworth. Vintage jerseys, new team logos and fresh kicks. Dikembe's finger, Ryder's Oakland roots and the Mailman's boots. Marv Albert's "yesss", Coach Jackson's gait and Dominique's windmill. Well, you get the picture...

Growing up in Munich, Germany, in the 90ies, basketball nerds, hip hop heads and solid competition were hard to come by. That's probably what made it all the more special when we did team up, sharing common interests in sneakers, all types of basketball action and Q-Tip's flow. We partied together, talked a whole lot of trash and competed in endless pick-up games. It was Chris' sneaker store and our distinct drive to create something unique, which naturally lead to the founding of K1X. The Nation of Hoop is our personal contribution to basketball culture. At first, everything was pretty much learning-by-doing. We fed off of each others' vibe, always pushing the project to the next level and quickly gained serious momentum. That's what it's like when you're in the zone. People caught on and made K1X from a local phenomenon to an international brand. We still consider ourselves underdogs but are right on course to "take over the world - one court at at a time".

The bond which was crucial to K1X' tip-off is still palpable in our company's every move. We've grown like a high school power forward and strengthened all aspects of our game. K1X will forever remain a "by ballers for ballers" unit. Of course, it was the support and inspiration of countless individuals along the way, that made K1X into a movement. Team Sierra Leone. Homicide Williams. Ron Artest. Bobbito. The So Solid Crew. Guru. Joell Ortiz. Saigon. Sean Price. Saian Supa Crew's Sir Samuel. RZA. SLAM Magazine. Darren "Primal Fear" Phillip. The Spezializtz. The PXA Posse. Kool Savas. Team Flight Brothers. Ghost. Rick Apodaca. Kareem "Big Game" Reid. Ademola Okulaja. World B. Free. Club Selecao. Meth & Red. Stay High. Josh Angulo. Red Cafe. El. Ryan. Dave. Max. The Cali Agents. Edmoses Bar. Patrick Mohr. BG Goettingen. Urspring Academy. The Hip Hop Don't Stop crew. Charles Oakley. And the back-to-back streetball champion K1X Warriors.

The collective listed above helped coin our "Basketball is Hip Hop" conviction - and underlines K1X' "play hard" philosophy with a big fat red marker. We're talking open air hoops, all out hustle, all day winner stays runs, ocean side courts, shirts vs. skins, loose ball diving, elbowing for position, shooting for the ball, finding the open man, triple fakes, finger tape, clearing the bench, behind the back passes (if they serve a purpose that is), offense calls, lazy sunday morning shootarounds, ongoing rivalries, the Chiefglider, finger roll layups, nasty dunks, fastbreaks, full court pressure, courtside shortys, in your face threes, gully bank shots, old school vets, new school talent, win by two, cutting down the net, flood lights, hardwood skid marks, skid marks in the opponent's padded tights, late entries, "money", pre-game trash talk and post game pounds, grip, last second steals, above the rim blocks, yo mama, gym squeaks, backing a teammate against all logic, nicknames, neighborhood hype, office matchups, team huddles, high fives, winning, a rep, bragging rights, beats and basketball. We are the Nation of Hoop.

Catch us at your local streetwear pusher or basketball store in forty countries - and counting. Play hard - don't embarrass our products.

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