Memories

"Ain't that like LeBron James..."

Kanye West - Gotta Have It

The NBA in my opinion has the best all-star game out of all the major sports...as much as I love baseball, the MLB is close second when it comes to overall presentation.

Nostalgia

As a child I can recall watching the all-star game for two very specific reasons: the first was because I was such a fan of the professional game, and I wanted nothing more than to cheer for the likes of Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, and Reggie Miller. The other point about the game was that Jordan would always wear his new sneakers, so I kept a keen watch on what he was wearing.

Every February Nike would release the new Jordan sneaker. Everyone around the globe anticipated what the new shoe would look like. Once the shoe made it's debut, you would wait an entire calendar year for the next one. Between the man who wore them, and the exclusivity of the footwear...the Jordan sneakers took on a life of their own. 

Fast forward to the present day, and it's safe to say that one man, and one shoe changed the industry, and sports culture forever.

Words: @axgilbert

Photo: AXG

Domination

"I'm paying Dwyane Wade..."

Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind

TV commercials play an important role in our society. Add sports, and athletes and the stakes go even higher. In my youth television ads helped me to grow and become loyal to a brand. Nowadays in the digital age, everything is bigger and better...and nothing is more advanced than the new Jordan Brand campaign with the artist formerly known as FLASH.

This is a new day and team for Mr. Dwyane Wade, and he is ready for the challenge.

Photo: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

Bridging the Gap

Pinnacle

Business

"And with the 3rd pick, I made the Earth sick...MJ...him J, fade-away perfect..."

Jay-Z - Hola' Hovito

Last night Dwyane Wade made a mysterious post on his twitter page...something about a big announcement that was forth coming.

Standing in the Shadows of Love

In my youth there were several things that mattered outside of my family...basketball, soccer, good grades, Sega Genesis, and an occasional trip to McDonald's. There was another thing that I absolutely thought about day and night...and it was none other than owning a pair of Michael Jordan sneakers, so I could play basketball in them, as well as look REALLY good while I was wearing them.

In looking at my list above, I am 100% sure that people all across the board can relate in someway if not agree with me wholeheartedly. Well like Michael Jackson once sang, "You are not alone..." because Dwyane Wade, like a lot of other children played basketball, and wanted nothing more than to wear the Jordan shoe...it also helps that he is a Chicago native and grew up a Bulls fan.

When Wade, or Flash as I like to call him was drafted he signed with Converse because he wanted to take the road less traveled, and make a name for himself off his own merits. Fast forward to the present day, and he has accomplished that and more having won a championship in '06, and an Olympic gold in '08. He has made some serious strides since his rookie year and it was that line of thinking that pushed him to sign with the Jordan Brand, leaving his deal with Converse behind.

I don't want to speculate, but when an opportunity like this knocks, you not only have to answer it...you have to accept the responsibility with an open heart and mind.

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.”

By Any Means Necessary...

AG. and CP3 in DC.

Leader of the pack

Fashion forward

"Legend in two games, like I'm Pee Wee Kirkland..."

Pusha T - Grindin'

Many people are going to spend time with their families during the holiday season, so with that I'd like to share a story of family about Chris Paul and I.

He and I are very similar...but before you think that’s a stretch, you must know that we are both young, down-to-earth, friendly people who played college basketball. “CP3” is the very talented point guard while I’m the shooting guard turned journalist. What I admire the most about him is his commitment to his family, and in that, I would say the comparison is right on target.

Family Ties

In the 2002-03 season of his senior year at West Forsyth High School, Chris Paul was on top of the basketball world, playing his way to 30.8 points, 8.0 assists, 6.0 steals and 5.0 rebounds per contest. Fast forward, and was the 2005-06 NBA Rookie and is currently one of the best players in the league.

If you don’t know the correlation between his senior season in high school and where he stands today, it’s simple: He dedicates himself to his family. When his grandfather Nathaniel Fredrick Jones was murdered in 2002, Paul took out his frustration on the opposing team to the tune of 61 points, making one point for every year of his grandfather’s life. With an opportunity to score point 62 on a foul shot, he intentionally missed and took himself out of the game, and the rest is a lesson in love and respect.

For me, my family is at the top of my priority list, and as the middle child I have an opportunity to look to my left to my younger sister, and to the right at my older brother and learn from each of them. However, the one person that I learn and have learned the most from is my mother. She has taught me how to be a man and to lead by example, but while I have the utmost love for my mother, I have the same amount for the woman who raised her, Blanche Holmes. “Aunt” Blanche was born in March of 1897 to sharecropping parents in St. Matthew, SC. 

This is no history lesson, but needless to say she didn’t have any formal training to read, write and do arithmetic. In fact, she grew up during a time where segregation and Jim Crow laws were the standard way of life and African-Americans were not even recognized as human beings…and despite all of that, she gave me the best opportunity I could ever get by raising my mother, beginning in 1953, in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

I can remember Aunt Blanche, as she would later move in with us and I would wonder what she would think of our television set. Not only was it color, but it was a huge floor model, and we also had a VCR with a remote control. You see, when my mother was growing up, they had a black and white TV and the set was always on CBS because Aunt Blanche thought the TV would break if you turned the channel. She would always tell me when I was actin’ up to “behave yourself before the red car comes and gets you.” The red car was the police, even though by that time police cars in Philadelphia were blue. But she was old school and had I been old enough to realize her wisdom, I could have learned something special from her. She passed away in 1987, but she is with me now more than ever before. I often sit and think of were she came from in relation to me and where I am today.

I’m a college graduate, professional journalist and TV personality, and the only reason is because of what everyone has done before me. Whenever I write a story, there is a direct link to Blanche Holmes because she was denied education. Whenever I appear on television, I have to give thanks, because I know in my heart that it is truly a blessing. One of the shows that my mother and Aunt Blanche used to watch was the Ed Sullivan Show. I haven’t appeared on the CBS Network yet, but when that day comes, I know that my Aunt Blanche will be watching…

When I met Chris Paul, I thought of him and his grandfather, and this story just came to me, so I wrote it down, and here it is.

By Any Means Necessary...

Carmelo Anthony and AG. in DC

Telling it like it is

Boys to men

"Thangs done changed on this side...remember they used to thump, but now they blast right..."

Dr. Dre - Lil' Ghetto Boy

Basketball is a game of passion, that when taken seriously it can have a positive, long lasting result. In the ‘hood it’s widely known as a way to not only deliver yourself, but your family to a new life and tax bracket. However basketball isn’t about the money, it’s about the love, and in the end that’s all that matters.

Captain America

As I talk about the greatest game that has ever happened to me, it’s only fitting that I write this as I watch the ‘06 NBA Draft…and speaking of the draft…in June, 2003 Carmelo Anthony was selected as the 3rd overall pick out of Syracuse. Four months later Sole Collector magazine would debut with issue 1, and the NBA and the magazine industry has not been the same since.

Now that I’ve given a little background, it’s imperative that I fill in the blanks a little and explain my theory. 2003 was a launch pad for Carmelo Anthony as he won the NCAA Championship, an ESPY Award, and he went on to sign with the Jordan Brand and Denver Nuggets. Coincidentally, it also marked the rise of a little known writer to the national scene, named Anthony Gilbert from Temple University.

Other than the fact that we are both named Anthony, and we are former student athletes, I have always found it interesting how much he really loves collecting sneakers. It is always good to see how much a like people are, no matter what race, color, or creed.

I first met Carmelo Anthony in Los Angeles during the 2004 NBA All Star Weekend, and we have been good friends since then.

I have had an opportunity to write a few stories on him…and to chronicle a player of his caliber is not only an honor, but as a journalist I would not have even thought this were possible, when I first saw him at Syracuse one Saturday afternoon on CBS versus Georgetown. Since then Anthony has emerged as a team leader and while he hasn’t gotten the recognition in years past, it’s his peers around the league that know his props are way overdue.

‘Melo and I had a chance to sit down and talk for a spell this past summer before the Olympic games, and after we caught up with one another, I interviewed him…here is the final score on our conversation:

How important is it to be active in the community?
“That’s my number 1 goal. Every time I get a chance to give back and serve the community that is what I’m going to do. The community is very important and whenever I can get involved in something positive, I’m going to give it my all and participate.”

What do you like so much about sneakers?
“We have to have…people like myself, you know…I love sneakers, so when I look at you, and magazines and I see all the old, or exclusive sneakers that nobody can get…it keeps me focused to where I want to be, and collecting is what I’m going to keep doing.”

What does the Jordan Brand have in store for the upcoming season?
“Man I can’t tell you...but knowing you, I’m sure you already have an idea [laughs]…”

Most basketball players are really into sneaker collecting and the culture, because from the day we began playing, you always needed something on your feet not only for the obvious reasons but also to show some of your personality and style. When I began playing in 1989, my mother took me to Marshall’s department store and I got my first pair of Nike. They were hi-tops…white and royal blue Sky Force, and even though the team uniforms were green and gold, and my shoes didn’t match them, it was all about my shoes, my game, and the love.

Forever Begins

Freshman year

Nike was the most known - unknown

Flight 23 prepares for takeoff

Jordan takes to the skies

Mars and Money changed the world

“I was staying in Chicago...I had my own apartment, I’d be doing like...just beats for like local acts, just to try to keep the lights on, or be able to go out and buy a...get a Pelle Pelle off lay-a-way, or get some Jordans or something...”

Kanye West – Last Call


This morning after my morning workout at the pool, I began having a conversation about sneakers with two friends. Since we all wear the same size, a question was posed about selling some of my prized possessions...I informed them that I actually had a customer today and that if he doesn’t follow through that I would gladly contact them. From there we shifted gears a little as they inquired about what I have and was willing to part with. The majority of my stock is Nike, Nike SB, Jordan, and Converse, with a few pairs of some other brands like Saucony, and adidas.

When I mentioned adidas, I told them that we would all be in the brand with the three stripes had Michael Jordan followed his heart, instead of his agent David Falk.

As a collegian Jordan wore Converse at the University of North Carolina, and upon his decision to turn pro after his junior year, the Chicago Bulls selected him with the 3rd pick of the 1984 NBA Draft. Being that he enjoyed a stellar career at UNC, and the fact that he won Olympic gold at the summer games in Los Angeles, Michael Jordan’s stock was high, and he wanted nothing more than to ride that wave of success to the NBA, and into a contract with his footwear of choice adidas.

With that mandate, Falk took initiative and began calling sneaker companies to pitch his client. At the time, Converse and adidas were the giants in the game, and Nike was the small time new kid on the block. As the relative basketball unknown Nike already had their sights set on MJ, and they made an offer of $250,000, a signature shoe line, as well as a percentage of the revenues (a first and at the time unheard of part of the deal). Michael wasn’t too fond of Nike, a shoe that he was very unfamiliar with, however his agent stayed diligent as he convinced both his client and Nike to change their stance. As history will tell you, MJ gave in to the small-time track sneaker company, and in turn they matched the offer of $500,000 by adidas.

The concept of “Air” Jordan was Falk’s idea, and the powers that be at Nike projected within the first 3 to 4 years, that the signature Jordan line would make approximately $3 million dollars. As legend has it, in 1985 alone, Nike would make $130 million...quite a turn around on a $500,000 investment.

Here are important factors as to why the sneaker did so well and continues to do so today.

• Following in the footsteps of Dr. J, Jordan had an excitement and flair that was unprecedented. He revolutionized the high flying act of such NBA greats like Elgin Baylor, David Thompson, and Dr. J. His ability to fly through NBA skies, and live up to the nickname “Air” gave him credibility that you couldn’t put a price on.
  


• The NBA had never seen a sneaker with dominant 3 colors, as the first Jordan was red, with black and white accents. That being the case, every time MJ laced up his new sneakers, he was fined $500 by the League office, which created a buzz, as EVERYONE wanted the sneaker BANNED by the NBA. Nike officials caught on very quickly, and paid all the fines for Michael, so all he had to do was wear his shoes, and play basketball.
  


• Combine the two facts above and you have a one of a kind basketball player, excelling in a never seen before technologically advanced sneaker year after year, after year.
  The Jordan XXIV is so ahead of its time, and I’ve only seen and tested an early sample, and it is going to shake up the world like Muhammad Ali did in 1964.
  


• Last but not least, in 1987 the impossible happened, as MJ teamed up with Spike Lee launching a historic ad campaign that changed marketing forever. The commercials showed the strength of the dollar in the black and Latino communities, and the shift in the advertising paradigm would by no means be the same again. Prior to this feat, NEVER was an African-American the face of a product in a positive light. The logic was that a black person couldn’t sell products to white consumers, so if you had a high profile athlete, then you would pair them with a white counterpart. Mean Joe Greene did that Coke-a-Cola commercial with the little white kid, “Have a Coke and a smile”. Muhammad Ali, sold roach spray, and Magic Johnson was teamed with Larry Bird. Nike’s advertising firm Weiden+Kennedy took a gamble, as they capitalized on authentic mass appeal of Mars and Money. This was made possible with equal parts timing, trust, and two guys from Brooklyn.

Imagine how differently your life would be had Michael Jordan signed with adidas?

Photos: Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated - University of North Carolina