US streetball icon finds a home court in China

Grayson Boucher, known around the world as "The Professor", returned to China this summer — not just for another tour, but for what feels like the beginning of something lasting.

At 41, the longtime streetball icon from the United States has spent two weeks this month crisscrossing five cities across China as part of a new partnership with domestic sportswear company Anta. The trip, he said, opened his eyes to how far China's basketball culture — and his bond with it — has come.

"I look forward to coming back and hopefully touring and expanding our business much more," Boucher told China Daily.

What struck him this time was not just the high-speed trains or better accommodation, it was the game itself. Streetball in China had reached a new level.

"From 2014 to 2017 I saw it grow, but now it's 10 times bigger," he said. "Now, there are creator hoopers and influencers — there's a whole ecosystem."

That ecosystem, in fact, is expanding fast in China. The rise in recent years of "Village Basketball Association" tournaments, and the growth of urban streetball leagues, have put grassroots basketball in the national spotlight.

Boucher rose to global fame through the AND1 Mixtape Tour in early 2000s, earning a reputation for dizzying handling and viral streetball flair. But, it was his 2013 Spiderman Basketball YouTube series, where he played disguised as the Marvel superhero, drawing tens of millions of views, that propelled him to stardom.

Today, with more than eight million subscribers on his Professor Live channel, Boucher ranks among the most recognizable basketball personalities online. In China, he is more than just a viral sensation — he is seen as a cultural influence.

"One guy told me that I changed his life," Boucher said. "Another said that he started his basketball channel because of me. One of them even hit me with my own moves. I was like, 'wow, I didn't know I had that kind of impact'."

Chen Yifan, a basketball influencer who faced Boucher during this recent tour's Shanghai leg, put it best: "I used to watch the Professor's moves as a kid, and, now, I'm actually playing against him. I can't believe it."

Now aligned with a Chinese company, Boucher is not just endorsing a sneaker. He joined Douyin — China's TikTok equivalent — to connect directly with fans.

"What they're doing blew me away," he said. "Their stores, the Anta Museum, the investment in streetball — it's next level. Being part of that is a huge honor."

The highlight of his trip was Anta's basketball flagship store in Shenzhen.

"It was packed, and there was a court in the middle of the store," he said. "Crazy visuals, crazy energy. That one felt like AND1 again."

Off the court, Boucher said the warmth he's received in China has always stayed with him. "People here are extremely welcoming," he said. "It's something I've felt every time I've come."

Looking ahead, Boucher wants to play until he's 50, and even dreams of earning a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame — not as a player, but as a contributor.

"I want to build in China," he said. "Cement a legacy and keep going higher."

With fans watching his every move, Boucher's latest crossover — from streetball legend to cultural connector — may be his slickest move yet.

Hou Minhao contributed to this story.