A lot of people see a logo, a name brand, a household name.
Me? It goes a lot deeper. It’s why you see me reppin the Jumpman logo or the swoosh all the time.
An identity of excellence. Redefining limits. Transcending life itself.
My roots in basketball watching MJ, Kobe, and Lebron. Jordan. Nike.
It represents striving to be the best of the best.
Growing up 15 minutes away from Nike’s World Headquarters, I didn’t know Nike other than an expensive brand until really high school.
Up until then, I had always wanted the cool Nike’s to play basketball in or wear to school like all my friends had but my parents could never afford them for me. The only way I got Nike’s was my friends who had used hand-me-down Shox and had worn them down and let me have them. Even when they were hand-me-down’s, I took care of those bad boys as if I had bought them myself. My sisters to this day still remaining all the times I’d be in the garage cleaning my used shoes.
I had a dream to one day have a room full of shoes. Well, as many of you have recently seen, that dream has come true and continues to expand.
I didn’t know how expensive Jordan’s were until I went to the high school sometimes nicknamed Nike University High School. A lot of my classmates would be wearing the latest J’s that dropped, playing in the nicest new Hyperdunks (the basketball shoe of choice at the time), and I even had a classmate who’s mom used to be Michael Jordan’s physical therapist and he’d be wearing a new pair of Jordan’s almost every day. At first I was jealous because I couldn’t afford them, but ultimately, it sparked a dream very deep inside to someday FIND a way to afford them.
Once I became more brand and business aware, I was honestly a little spoiled by the connections I knew of to the Nike/Jordan Brand growing up in Portland, OR. Even the President of my Alma Mater today was an executive for Nike. Phil Knight, the Founder of Nike, his son attended our high school, and the gym is named after the Knight family. I’d come to find out later that my dad actually went to Catholic grade school with that same son as well, the same grade school I ended up going to 5th-8th grade.
All that to say, aside from the dream to always have the latest shoes, it was beyond just a brand and top-of-the-line gear to me. It was my inspiration to pursue the best version of myself CONSISTENTLY.
Today, every time I lace up for my workouts in a pair of Jordans or Nike’s, EVERY SINGLE TIME, it reminds me of what I didn’t have, what it felt like to dream as a kid just one day to be able to afford those cool shoes, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, it represents a responsibility…
…a responsibility and promise to myself that now I have achieved this dream, I need to continue to rise and help others reach levels in their life they never thought possible for themselves…in their health, their relationships, their building of their wealth and lifestyle.
I don’t care about the comments some have made about my 24/7 color-coordinated drip. Some love it, others think it’s over the top. Doesn’t matter, it reminds me of where I’ve been and where I’ve come from. I’ll never forget my roots.
Watching good friends and classmates of mine play for the Oregon Ducks football team under Chip Kelly, Marcus Mariota, and the team that played in the CFP Championship in 2014 in 1,000 different Nike uniform combinations over the years inspired a desire for Fashion and constant color coordination in the gym, down to very small details, fashion beyond just the Gym Shark or Young LA Brands you see today.
Every time I set up my outfits, it reminds me that every day in the gym is game day…
…every time I meet someone new in the gym and help them get to their next level…
…every time I don’t want to put in the work in the gym but force myself to, representing the brands of my roots reminds me of the greater responsibility I have.
Sound kind of crazy? Good. The crazy ones tend to inspire others to make life-altering shifts in their life.
I can’t inspire others if I’m not living inspired myself. Too many live their lives uninspired, unenthusiastic, “another day another dollar” type of mentality. And wearing Nike/Jordan Brand reminds me every day that I REFUSE to crater to that mindset.
Every single day counts, and I will always do my best to be a living example of that.
Fashion Fitness
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