Remembering Eddie Jones and the Jumpman Pro Quick

The Los Angeles Lakers, my hometown team, acquired Dwight Howard today and I'm extremely giddy about it. Not sure it has completely sunk in yet. I was trying to come up with an idea for a post related to how Adidas might approach having their first signature athlete in L.A. since Kobe was reppin' for the three stripes. I ultimately came to the conclusion that I didn't feel like writing about how Adidas will make purple and gold Howard shoes.

I ended up reminiscing about some of my favorite Laker teams of the past and one that always comes to mind is the 95-96 Laker squad. This was the last year before Shaq and Kobe. The team was young, exciting, and even had a recently un-retired Magic Johnson. The player that defines the era between the "Showtime" Lakers and the Shaq/Kobe era is Eddie Jones. Eddie was that dude. He was a hyper-athletic kid from Philly who could shoot, guard the opposing team's best guard, and finish with the best of them. Eddie was so dope that he was the reason Kobe came off the bench in his first two seasons. If you aren't familiar Eddie's game, peep this vid. Nine minutes of Eddie Jones dunking on just about everyone.

If you don't have 9 minutes to spare, here are some of the gems:

• At the 1:48 mark, Eddie drives and dunks all over Hakeem Olajuwan
• This one is amazing because of all the people involved. Magic Johnson posts up a young rookie named Kevin Garnett, and delivers one of the best alley oop passes you'll ever see. This one is straight basketball porn. 2:23 mark.
• At 3:09, rookie year Kobe gives Sean Rooks a shoulder rub. Awkward.
• Monster putbacks at 4:04 and 4:29.
• Back to back dunks on 7'6'' Shawn Bradley at the 6:06 mark.
• At 8:30, Eddie picks up a loose ball in transition and takes off from just inside the free throw line to dunk on Andrew Lang.

As Eddie Jones became a bigger star, he drew the attention of Michael Jordan. So much so that Jordan decided to sign Jones to "Team Jordan" when Jordan became it's own brand in 1997. My favorite team Jordan shoe that Eddie used to rock was the Jumpman Pro Quick:

This was a favorite of mine at the time that they dropped. These were among the first "team" Js ever, so they sold very well. They were especially popular in L.A. because people thought of them as Eddie Jones' shoe. This shoe, much like Jones, has been relatively forgotten despite its greatness. Maybe that's why I have such a soft spot for them. I would love to see these retro. Jordan Brand recently retro'd the Vin Baker team shoe, Jumpman Pro Strong, so these might be on their way also.

You can expect to see more sports and music related posts on the blog because they are part of the fabric that makes up sneaker culture. So with that said, please continue to visit the blog and thank you all very much for taking the time to check. I love being able to share my passion for kicks with others who share it,

Ray Allen Is The Last "Team Jordan" Samurai

     

     We are just under two weeks away from the release of the iconic "Olympic" Air Jordan VI. I've had a few people ask me why this shoe is so iconic even though it isn't an "OG" colorway. I don't think you can single out just one reason as to why this shoe is so legendary, so I'll run down a few.

     First off, the shoe is fucking amazing. The Air Jordan VI is one of the most highly regarded Jordan models, plus this has color blocking similar to the "Carmine" VIs, which is arguably the best Jordan VI ever. The contrast just looks so dope.

     My second reason for this shoe being iconic is that it was worn in the Olympics by...

RAY FUCKING ALLEN! Ray Allen is a G of the highest order. I'm a lifelong Laker fan, but I can't deny how ill Ray Allen is. Greatest jump shot ever. His J is like a samurai who is so quick with the blade that you're already bleeding out by the time you notice you got cut. I'll always remember Ray for many great accomplishments.

- NBA's all time leader in 3 pointers made.

- NBA champion with the 2007-08 Boston Celtics.

- Most 3 pointers in a NBA finals game (8 in game 2 of the 2010 finals at LAL)

- Olympic gold medalist at the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia.

- Epic three way with two white girls in the Spike Lee film "He Got Game"

- Sex scene with legendary fly tenderoni, Rosario Dawson in the Spike Lee film "He Got Game"

- Oh yeah, he starred in "He Got Game"

I told you, Ray's done a lot of cool shit. But one thing that stands out to me as a sneakerhead is that Ray is the last man standing from the original "Team Jordan". Back in 1997 when Jordan became it's own brand within Nike, Jordan recruited five up and coming NBA players to rock the first "team" Jordans. Those players were: Eddie Jones, Vin Baker, Derek Anderson, Michael Finley, and Ray Allen. Peep the commercial spot:

     As long as Ray is balling in ill Jordan PEs, I'll always think back to the beginning of Jordan Brand and how cool I thought those five dudes were, how dope team J's used to be, and a golden era in kicks. The Olympic VIs, to me, represent the last Samurai of the OG Jordan roster. All those other dudes were very good players, but Ray is the last man standing. To me, Ray is the last player from the era when Jordan Brand really was the shit, not how all it can move now is poor quality retros.

     Salute to team USA, salute to the Olympic VI, and salute to the OG, Ray Allen. Good luck copping yours, fam.