By Any Means Necessary...

Proven

The future

"I thought Jordans, and a gold chain was living it up..."

Nas - Street Dreams

I can admit when I'm wrong...so when the Charlotte Bobcats drafted DJ Augustin out of Texas with the 9th overall pick last summer, I wasn't too sure about him. Then he signed an endorsement deal with the Jordan Brand soon after...at which I felt was another move in the wrong direction. To say I was perplexed is an understatement.

The Most Known Unknown

Augustin played collegiately at Texas, and outside of Kansas, I don't watch teams from the BIG 12 Conference, but after seeing him play recently in Philadelphia, I wish that I would have paid more attention to him before. His game is good, and by the time I caught up with him in the visiting locker room, we started what will become a good friendship, and respect for each other's profession.

Here is the final score on our conversation:

What are your feelings in playing for Michael Jordan, as well as representing him on the court, with the Jordan Brand?
“It’s a dream come true. Growing up, I always looked up to Michael Jordan, he’s my favorite player, and to play for his team and to wear his shoe, it’s a great feeling!”

Did you collect Jordan sneakers when you were younger?
“I tried, I tried to keep up with them, but I couldn’t keep up. My friends they used to do, but I never did, but now I have all the Jordan’s so…now my friends are calling and asking me for shoes now. [Laughs]”

How often do you switch up and wear a new pair?
“I don’t wear a new pair that often…it’s tough to do that…I have to break them in a little bit. I try to go about 10…about 10 games, and then I’ll switch them up. We get different shoes every quarter of the season, and after All-Star break, we get a new selection, so I just try to switch up every 10 games. They [Jordan Brand] offer a lot of different colors and different styles, it’s great!”

Which is your favorite Jordan?
“Favorite shoe…man? There’s so many man…I’ll probably have to say the XI’s, I like the Space Jams, and the Six Rings right now, they’re tight. I was playing in them, but they’re kind of heavy for me, so I don’t play in them anymore. Now I’m wearing the Jumpman Pro, and they’re really light.”

Growing up as a fan, and now you are representing the brand…can you put how that feels into words?
“It’s crazy…it’s unbelievable, it’s really a dream come true like I said…I’m just very blessed to be in this opportunity and take advantage of it.”