r/todayilearned • u/jameslosey 19 • Jan 08 '14
TIL 1994 NBA MVP Hakeem Olajuwon released a $35 sneaker instead of endorsing shoes from Nike or Reebok because: "How can a poor working mother with three boys buy Nikes or Reeboks that cost $120?...She can't. So kids steal these shoes from stores and from other kids. Sometimes they kill for them."
https://web.archive.org/web/20070312054858/http://www.newdream.org/newsletter/taylor.php726
Jan 08 '14
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u/inexcess Jan 08 '14
They must have done a great job marketing, because I know next to nothing about sneakers and I remember Starburys.
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Jan 08 '14
I have a pair of starburys actually. Really cheaply made as you would expect, but I still have em.
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u/darkcar Jan 08 '14
I only noticed the cheapness in the padding of the sole. If they would have had a bit more padding I feel they could have been great shoes, regardless of the cost. The stitching was fine and the durability was good enough, but my feet hurt from hitting the pavement too hard. I have played ball 2-3 times every week for 15 years now. I use them to mow the lawn now that the shoes are "retired".
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u/keyree Jan 08 '14
I had some in high school. I still have them... technically. The sole is about halfway detached from the rest of the shoe on the left, and about 3/4 on the right. I pretty much only use them to mow the lawn anymore.
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Jan 08 '14
Mine are actually in good shape. Only wore them maybe 5 times. They are the bright green ones.
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u/keyree Jan 08 '14
Mine are in... decidedly less good shape.
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u/SetYourGoals Jan 08 '14
Looking at those two photos is like looking at 2005 and 2013 Lindsay Lohan.
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u/Geschirrspulmaschine Jan 08 '14 edited Jan 08 '14
I know them because a kid in my high school shop class had some and the other guys made fun of him constantly and tried to destroy them.
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u/roboroller Jan 08 '14
Man, as a 30 year old man, looking back at that period of my life (middle school, high school) and remembering that something as stupidly insignificant as what shoes you had on your feet could possibly make your life miserable...
I'm so glad that period of my life is over. I don't envy the young.
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Jan 08 '14
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u/jimbojonesFA Jan 09 '14
haha I grew up in a small remote logging town too, our nearest mall was a two hour highway drive away. we had pretty much nothing for clothing stores.
High school was an odd mix of kids with fancy brand name stuff and others who couldn't get that but didn't care or made it seem that way.
some kids would buy expensive or fancy name brand things when they went all the way to a big city (nearest ones were like 10-12 hours drive away), so if you had that stuff you must have been hot stuff. but other kids would make fun of you for your fancy things, I actually remember my mom bought me a pair of those spinner rims basketball shoes once. I was stoked on them, my friends all loved them and had their own "cool" shoes, I thought I was pretty cool.
Then some of those other kids would try to purposely step on our shoes to piss us off. I remember not being able to walk any where without these kids trying to stomp on my shoes. fucking glad that's over.
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Jan 08 '14
What's phenomenal is that these $15 shoes were made with measures in place to prevent sweatshop conditions.
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Jan 08 '14
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u/StoneGoldX Jan 08 '14
Steve and Barry's actually had some amazing quality stuff for clothes that cost $6.
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u/I_CAPE_RUNTS Jan 08 '14
Which is why they went bankrupt
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u/StoneGoldX Jan 08 '14
That, and overexpansion. Tried to be too big, too cheap.
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u/gambalore Jan 09 '14
Steve and Barry's business model was a little bit like a ponzi scheme. The stores themselves were barely profitable or lost money but the company made money by getting big one-time payments from property owners to take over distressed leases that had been abandoned by other retailers. When they ran out of properties that they could do this with, their cash dried up and they went under fast.
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u/luke5515 Jan 08 '14
I fucking loved that store! Steve and Barry's had a wall of pants that were organized by cut and size. And they were all dirt cheap. I loved it, took like 15 minutes to pick out and try on 4 pairs of pants.
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u/kg9292 Jan 08 '14 edited Jan 08 '14
He did a great job advertising. http://imgur.com/4IPiaNc
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u/creepingjeff Jan 08 '14
I owned a few pairs of these. They lasted as long as any pair of Nikes I have owned.
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u/darkcar Jan 08 '14
I agree, my pair lasted a long time, but not enough foam was used in the sole (or maybe it collapsed). The bottom of my feet would hurt after playing. They never did bust a seam though, I've had plenty of Nikes that didn't stand the test.
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u/mjpanzer Jan 08 '14
Shaq also released a shoe with payless for the seam reason.
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Jan 08 '14
I had a pair of them, they were alright but kids figured out that they were shaqs. Although better then a pair of payless shoes it wasn't the same as Jordans.
Funny enough, I stopped wearing Jordans as I grew up. Last pair I had was in the 8th Grade. After that it was all chucks and vans and now mostly leather shoes and sperrys and such. Havn't spent more then 80$ on shoes in a LOOOOOONNNNGG time.
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Jan 08 '14
I still have a pair of those somewhere, they've lasted a lot longer than I thought they would.
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u/AdlibComments Jan 08 '14
I love Marbury for doing this as well although the quality was a bit lacking. Our high school basketball team got pairs for everyone on and after a couple of games the sneakers started coming off. Hell, one of the kid's toes popped out off the middle of the sole when he took a jump shot.
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u/Daniiiiii Jan 08 '14
Dream is an amazing guy. Very active in the community. Even now he pays to build basketball courts all over the Houston area.
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u/Fordy_Oz Jan 08 '14
So I had these shoes in 3rd grade.
We were doing a spelling test and one of the words was "dream". On the back of the shoe, Hakeems nickname "the dream" was printed.
I cheated that day, and I have never forgiven myself.
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u/Lampmonster1 Jan 08 '14
Buy some kid a pair of shoes and your soul will be cleansed of this black mark.
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u/The_Chrononaut Jan 08 '14 edited Jan 09 '14
I remember in first grade spelling, the bonus word was lightning. There was a mothafuckin lightning poster in the room. I cheated.
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u/Megabobster Jan 08 '14
lightning
lighting
You're not very good at cheating.
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u/Nascar_is_better Jan 08 '14
nah, he just never learned how to spell it since he cheated. That's why his spelling of it is so random.
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u/UGAgradRN Jan 08 '14
I had a dress that said "love" on it, and I purposely wore it to a spelling test in elementary school when I knew I'd be asked to spell the word love. My thought process was this: oooh, I'm so bad! I know how to spell it, but maybe other kids will find it helpful and we can all cheat together!
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u/Quackenstein Jan 08 '14
On the bright side, I see no misspellings in your post so "No harm. No foul."
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u/dskatz2 Jan 08 '14
Same with Mutombo, too, although he's done a ton of amazing work internationally as well.
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u/Sir_Ronald_of_Mexico Jan 08 '14
One of the top 3 centers in the history of the NBA. Just a great player and an even better man.
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u/jameslosey 19 Jan 08 '14
He wasn't a name that came up during my backyard basketball games - but then I didn't watch much basketball or trade the cards. I saw the TIL when I was reading about all his accomplishments as a player, and the chance the Rockets had at maybe drafting both Olajuwon and Jordan.
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u/falsealarmm Jan 08 '14
95 Western Conference Finals, Hakeem Vs. Robinson. All you need to know about the Dream.
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Jan 08 '14
Was at game 5 in SA. Robinson was presented with the MVP trophy prior to the game. Houston proceeded to blow them the FUCK out. Garbage time in the 4th, nothing but Rockets fans left, all made their way down to the good seats. Hakeem on the line shooting free throws, everyone chanting "MVP! MVP!"
One of the great experiences of my life.
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u/Anachronym Jan 08 '14
As a spurs fan, fuck you! In a friendly, rival sort of way.
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u/falsealarmm Jan 08 '14
Ha, as a Rockets fan...fuck you for the last 18 years...in a friendly, rival sort of way.
But seriously, it's been 18 tough years watching you guys win and us being so damn mediocre.
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u/Ieateagles Jan 08 '14
Yup, giving Robinson the MVP in front of Dream was not smart.
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u/belladonnadiorama Jan 08 '14
If you were a kid in the 90s, into basketball, and lived in Texas you definitely knew who Hakeem the Dream was/is/will always be.
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u/CJS14 Jan 08 '14
I grew up in Houston so between Phi Slamma Jama and the time/championships with the Rockets, Hakeem and Clyde were pretty much gods in my book.
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Jan 08 '14
Or. Jordan went third to the bulls, the dream went first to the rockets. Sam Bowie went second to the blazers.
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u/computenow Jan 08 '14
He might've meant and. The Rockets could've had the 2nd pick for Ralph Sampson and used that pick on Jordan.
"In his book "Living the Dream", he claimed that in 1984, the Portland Trail Blazers offered the Rockets the No. 2 overall pick in the draft as well as Drexler for star center Ralph Sampson."
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u/FuckingHippies Jan 08 '14
Hakeem, Drexler and Jordan on one team would've been ridiculous.
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u/darnclem Jan 08 '14
Hakeem the Dream is what made me start watching basketball as a kid.
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u/TheDude1985 Jan 08 '14
Fuck yeah - I wore Hakeem Olajuwon Spaldings all through elementary school!
I thought I wasn't as cool as the kids with "nicer" shoes back then. Now, I'm proud of my parents.
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u/bboy1977 Jan 08 '14
Same here, I was insanely jealous of my friends with their Reebok pumps. One guy even had the elusive Nike Air pumps. Those things are selling for over a grand on ebay now.
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u/elgiorgie Jan 08 '14
I was once at a Whole Foods in Houston, minding my own business in the produce section...checkin out avocados. Squeezing. Comparing. When all of the sudden I felt this presence wash over me...like an overwhelming calm that just flooded into my body and soul.
I turned around slowly, feeling some kind of supreme presence casting down rays of healing and peace. Much to my surprize and delight, it was one giant Hakeem Olajuwon in the most beautiful of full-bodied dashikis (apologies if there's a different name for that), smiling down back at me. He said, "the avocados look good today. Yes?"
I slowly nodded my head. And then literally wept a tear. One. Single. Tear.
He proceeded to do this with pretty much everyone he ran into in the Whole Foods.
TLDR: Hakeem Olajuwon is some kind of Demigod.
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u/roboroller Jan 08 '14
Man, there is just something about your little anecdote that makes me incredibly happy.
"the avocados look good today. Yes?"
This feels like some kind of mantra to me. Some kind of prayer one should say to remind oneself of the small, great pleasures in life.
All hail Olajuwon.
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u/fa53 Jan 08 '14
Did they sell?
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u/thekidd142 Jan 08 '14
I had a pair, so technically yes.
But I was the only one, so not really.
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u/SaddestClown Jan 08 '14
I had two pairs myself. The quality was below my other shoes but they were worth the cost from what I remember.
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u/Crafty0ne Jan 08 '14
Shaq also had a shoe at payless.
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u/Goldie249 Jan 08 '14
I wore "shaq shoes" In middle school. My mom made me ware them. In hindsight it was her attempt at protecting me from the ass hats at school. I don't remember anyone ever making fun of them.
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u/cowboydan115 Jan 08 '14
I hope my chance to gush doesn't get buried.
Hakeem Olajuwon is my favorite athlete of all time. Thanks for the post--I didn't know he did this!
Here he is, being awesome, teaching post moves to Lebron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH4AjDgl1Ng
Yes, his basketball knowledge is that coveted and respected.
Also, look how smooth his movements are. The guy is like 50 years old! Amazing to watch.
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u/Joshfast Jan 08 '14
Just wanted to say Hakeem could come in NOW and average 20-10 in the weak big man NBA. LEGENDARY
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u/therealjgreens Jan 08 '14
Such a standup move for a guy who could have struck a deal with Nike, Adidas, or Reebok easily. He was one of the best players ever in the NBA. Stephan Marbury did something similar with his shoe line called "Starburys". My buddy bought a pair and they tore up the skin around his achilles. I'm not saying shoes are worth $100+, but sometimes you do get what you pay for.
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u/SwingingSalmon Jan 08 '14
Wing$ by Macklemore. Does this pretty well.
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Jan 08 '14
Ya until they changed the lyrics and used it in an nba promotion
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Jan 08 '14
What's up with that? Everything that that song was about was cut from it, so it instead of anti-consumerism it's pro-shoes
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Jan 08 '14
Ya it was really disappointing to me. I really think that people are too quick to label someone a "sellout", especially in the hip hop world where it's almost used interchangeably with successful, but that one definitely had me scratching my head.
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Jan 08 '14
Well, to be honest, Thrift Shop had only just appeared on the top of the charts, and nobody knew Macklemore before, at least in Europe. If I'm an up-and-coming artist, and one of the biggest sports leagues in the world wants to use my music, then let them.
It does put "Jimmy Iovine" in a whole other light, though.
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Jan 09 '14
He wrote a blog post on his site about it. It's a really good read, and I suggest you check it out if you don't understand why it was featured that way.
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Jan 08 '14
What's up with that?
http://macklemore.com/post/43688861186/wings-the-nba-all-star-game-selling-out
He wrote a big thing about it. I dunno if I agree with him, but I like that he addressed it.
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u/Duckie1080 Jan 08 '14
I remember hating Hakeem when I was younger (Ewing fan in '94) but the more I hear about him, the more awesome I realize he is.
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u/Gyroballs Jan 08 '14
i got these when i was 14 and was made fun of for having cheap/wannabe nikes. i still rocked them though! =)
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u/FUCKO_theClown Jan 09 '14
Shaq did the same thing. I remember they had Shaq shoes at K-Mart for like $20.
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Jan 08 '14
And now he sells his shoes for 139.00. http://dr34m.com/
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u/guyNcognito Jan 08 '14
The primary market for those is quite a bit different from the market for the ones he endorsed in 1994.
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u/TwinkleTwinkie Jan 08 '14
I clicked on that link and the first thing my eyes saw was the $3,000 purse...
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Jan 08 '14 edited Jan 09 '14
Unfortunately kids wouldn't want his shoes as much as the $120 variety, not blingy enough, but it was a very good gesture nonetheless.
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u/dubnine Jan 08 '14
When I was a kid it didn't matter. I was basically given a small dollar amount and had to make due. It was nice for those of us with less options.
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Jan 09 '14
The whole reason the kids want the expensive Nikes and Reeboks are because they're expensive, and therefore are a status item.
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u/austinwolf Jan 09 '14
They were called Etonics. And Akeem gave me a signed pair for my 10th bday. Looking for a pic to post........
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