How do you decide what brand to spend your money on? My brand loyalty runs deep… As mentioned in my previous story, I worked at a Converse store first and a Nike Outlet second. But I knew Nike is where I wanted to be. But why? Well for me it comes down to MJ. He was and is an icon. He was his own brand before he actually became a brand. I would watch Bulls games with my dad just to see how many Mike would score. Had Jordan posters on every inch of my wall. I still have my 1990’s “Wings” poster in a tube under my bed. That poster was over my bed from middle school through high school.
I would rent every VHS from Blockbuster Video and watch them over and over until it was time to jump on my Mongoose bike and drop them in the drop box. We had “Come Fly With Me” in 1989, “Michael Jordan’s Playground” hit in 1990 and in 1996 we got “Air Time”. I didn’t miss any of em.
There is no way I could ever come close to playing like MJ, but the idea that I could wear the exact same shoe as my favorite player was a nonnegotiable. I had the shirts. I had the hats. I even bought the Oakley Romeo because Mike was an Oakley fan. In the 90s, I looked like a walking Nike billboard most every day of the year. Mike is the reason.
Most people know that MJ signed with Nike after they offered him $500K for 5 years. But what if MJ signed with another brand? Hakeem Olajuwon was drafted as the #1 overall pick in 1984. He wore Etonics in the early years of his career. He later signed with Spalding in an effort to promote a lower priced shoe for consumers who wanted an affordable alternative to Nike and Reebok.
Barkley went 5th and Stockton was selected 16th that year. Chuck wore Converse All Star Pros in his college years at Auburn but switched to Nike Air Force and Air Force II during his first few years in the league. Sir Charles didn’t get a signature shoe until he was traded to the Suns where he was literally a monster on the court. The Air Force Max CB wouldn’t see store shelves until 1993.
John Stockton never had a signature shoe. The king of assists didn’t always play in a basketball shoe. He set the NBA assist record in a shoe that was built for tennis. Stockton favored the Air Zoom Challenge. And btw, are you guys all up on how dirty of a player Stockton was? Don’t let those fresh socks and short shorts distract you. Dude will merk you on a loose ball.
What if Avia signed Jordan that year? The Avia 830 was a popular choice in the league in the early 80s. Elite NBA athletes sign contracts and receive shoe deals. Those deals are monetarily driven but preference can be a factor too. For the draft class of ’84, very different sneaker decisions were made. MJ played in converse at UNC. Mike liked Adidas. I have heard many times that MJ wanted to sign with Adidas. Would I have a closet full of adidas if MJ went with them instead of Nike?
I love looking at shoes on feet. If I’m at an amusement park, restaurant, or even the mall, I love to see what everyone is walking around in. But nothing beats a sneaker convention. A lot of people will flex at a concert or a sporting event. But a sneaker convention is a sneaker head’s time to shine. A building that is full of like minded people still has a huge variety on the toe. There are pairs that can only be found at these shows. There are a lot of “if you know, you know” moments. You wont see a pair of OG Gary Payton ‘the Glove’ or a Oregon player edition walking down the street, but you’ll see them at a show .
The sneaker community is HUGE right now. Bigger than I can ever remember. Now a sporting event is different than a con. Fans love to show out in Fragment Lows, Reverse Mochas, Sean Wotherspoon 350s or Air Max 1/97s, every lot of Off-White x Dunks, Diors, and on and on.
You will see the latest and greatest at an actual NBA game. I love walking through the Footprint Center during a Suns game and seeing all the kicks pop. Purple and orange color-blocking is limited. But Nike has offered a lot of pairs of orange OR purple. The arena is full of shattered backboard J’s and court purple lows and highs. We get a lot of “Syracuse” (orange blaze) dunks. Custom AF1 are always welcome when you can find a painted suns logo, gorilla or D Books face painted by an incredible custom artist on a pair of triple white Forces. There are also shoes without my beloved orange and purple.
If you’re in line behind someone with $1200 Balmain Unicorns, don’t you ever wonder what led them to that pair over another? How did any of these shoe owners decide on the pairs they chose? It has to be more than just the way it looks or feels doesn’t it? Do sneakerheads truly have a budget or do they ball out and cry later? I love getting talking to other sneakerheads about kicks because that’s what I truly love. And I’ve been lucky enough to have been in the shoe game for 30+ years and can’t wait to tell you guys more stories. Hoping that the new Air movie coming out this week gets people talking just like the Last Dance did during the Pandemic. You know I’ll be here for all of it!
Until the next story drops, check out this playlist below. These are all tracks that reference Jordan or Nike in some kind of way. The concept of this playlist will likely go over most heads so I made sure to not go too obscure with this! Give it a peep and let me know if I missed any tracks.