When I returned from the UK, it took me a year or so to get my bearings. My friend group from 1995-1996 had changed pretty significantly and I chose to start hanging out with the people who lived around me (instead of those who lived far away). Consequently, from 1996-1998, Nike basketball had brainwashed me and my new peers. Ads were everywhere and just about everything seemed like it was a classic. From Jordans to Pennys to Foams to Maestros to Air Hawks to Paytons to Pippens to Kidds to Uptempos to whatever you could imagine…it was never ending. Those Nike ads that @nikestories has as his profile pic were all over the place and they were *very impactful My buddy had them plastered all over his locker and Nike love was at a fever pitch. ⁣
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I remember one kid I grew up with – he made a pact to wear nothing but Nike the whole school year. Shoes, socks, shorts, shirt, hat. He was all about the swoosh. He used to talk about getting a swoosh tattoo.⁣
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There were dudes on the basketball team that would brag about walking into Champs in Reno, getting a pair to try on, then running straight out the door. ⁣
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One of my neighbors and one of my best friends, @mrkennerline, had worn a size 13 when he was 13 years old. Then when he turned 14 he was super happy to be wearing size 14’s. And then when he turned 15 he was so excited he bought some size 15’s but they looked like skis…they became a running joke in the group. A year or so later he took it back a notch started buying shoes in his *actual* size – a 12.5 (if I remember correctly). ⁣
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We used to hang out at each others houses and talk about mainly 2 things – gangsta rap and shoes…and sometimes we’d talk about low riders but not with as much pizzazz. ⁣
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My favorites at the time: my Penny II’s. Still – some of my favorites to this day.