Fall of 1986 on an overcast/slightly drizzling day in Seattle, me and a few friends of mine found ourselves in the “Chubby and Tubby” Sporting Goods shop on Rainier Ave South (Now known as Martin Luther King Way). I had just made the decision to take basketball seriously, and decided to go shoe shopping with my buddies. I was never a shoe horse back then like I am now, so this was an important store visit for me. I had seen a lot of the more popular brands that everybody was wearing like: Pony, Adidas, The Bird/Magic Converse, Avia, Kaepa, New Balance, Kangaroos, Etc.
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With so many choices, I decided to hang back and see the choices my friends were making. A pair of Magic Converse and high top Chuck Taylor All Stars were the first shoes at the sales desk. Black shell top adidas with the white shell tops were picked out by my other associate. Before my other buddy had made a choice, I seen something out of the corner of my eye that I had to investigate. Around the corner of the last isle in the back of the store, I caught a glimpse of a high top black shoe with a weird looking logo on it. As I made the corner I seen a pair of high top black with royal blue Nike swooshes on them! I had no clue what they were until I picked it up to examine them. Genuine leather (back when it was cheap to make), cushioned high top with royal blue accented back heel with the Nike swoosh racing to the front, and the first facsimile of the Air Jordan logo on the side of the high top.
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First two memories that hit me was: 1. the last shot in the 1982 NCAA Title game between UNC and Georgetown University. 2. The 1986 Michael Jordan coming out party vs. the eventual NBA Champs Boston Celtics! SOLD!!! I grab the one shoe they had on display, and the sale person went to the back to get the matching pair. This was a major purchase for me at the time. I rarely bought anything that had nothing to do with jeans, socks, and underwear. My summer job clearing out an old cemetery, put a little change in my pocket just in time for the purchase that would help shape my basketball career! $40 plus tax (if only I knew then what I know now)! These shoes lasted me about 2 months. I was really hard on my shoes, because I wore them everywhere. Played every sport in them outside of basketball in them. By the time tryouts came around, I was already back in my old red white and blue James Worthy New Balances. I didn’t buy another pair of Jordans until college, when I bought a pair of used black Jordan 4s to go with my 1990 Black Nike Flights! Just a stroll down memory lane. What are the top 5 hoop shoes you’ve ever bought?
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