Basketball Star Grayson Boucher Reveals Why He Went Viral
By Movieguide® Contributor
AND1 star Grayson Boucher, also known as “The Professor” in the basketball world, credits his boldness to branding himself for the reason he went viral.
“I think that for me being tapped into digital and being younger and not scared to brand myself,” Boucher said of his success on the “Deep End Podcast” with Lecrae. “But I actually brand myself because it was like even that was uncool. We used to have the machine behind us. We don’t have the manager, and I don’t have the agent. They all fired us. I had a lead role in a movie out here, they shelved it. The acting agent let me go, the manager let me go.”
Boucher first rose to prominence for his time with AND1.
According to Sports Skeeda, he “attended the AND1 mixtape tour when he was 18, and in an open run, secured a spot as a contestant in a nationwide knockout contest. At the end of the elimination game, Boucher was selected to sign a contract with AND1 to become a professional street ballplayer.”
Following his time with the league, he turned his attention to expanding his reach on YouTube, a new platform at the time, and changing his mindset.
“So, I think being tapped into digital was big. More in touch with how the people think, hanging around different crowds. Like not hanging with the streetball crowd was great because that was all ego and are you like that,” he continued. “Coming out, we were so concerned with stuff that made no sense. We were always trying to be the best, and it was like bro, they just want to see an ankle breaker.”
Boucher added: “It’s both, right? You want that respect of being an elite hooper because they branded us as, like, the best players not in the NBA, but it was actually true, though. Like that’s the crazy part. The crazy part is even us there, we would say we weren’t. Like some dudes had imposter syndrome…but honestly, the whole [AND1] group was special.”
Movieguide® previously reported on how Boucher relied on his faith when he shot to fame on YouTube:
“I’m on spiritual steroids, right? I just came to Christ. I’m that immature Christian now,” he said. “I’m just like we ain’t got time for nothing but God. So, we’re like how can we do one that honors God.”
That’s when Boucher decided to post a basketball video of him playing guys one-on-one while wearing a Spider-Man costume.
It quickly garnered 100k views and continued growing, something he called a “golden” video.
From that point, Boucher continued to ride the viral wave, and once Instagram came out, his career took off. He has gained over 5 million followers on Instagram, and his platform continues to grow.
As Boucher’s platform grew, he expanded onto other social media platforms.
Now, he runs the “Crossed Up University” program for young hoopers to learn to develop their skills and hopes to use his influence to glorify God.
“I really want to start spreading the gospel,” he told Bleacher Report in 2012. “Not exactly preaching, but using basketball as a tool to bring people to Christ.”
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