Beginning with the Marbury signing and the Rafer Alston discovery two years later, AND1 began to recruit more and more NBA players to wear their product, a major power play in competing with the bigger brands, such as Nike and Adidas.
One of the most prominent appearances of AND1's sneakers, aside from Vince's dunk contest, was when Detroit Piston Chauncy Billups took home the MVP honors during the 2004 NBA Finals, wearing the AND1 Rise's.