Sneaker Collecting Quotes

I think my senior year in high school was when I started wearing Jordans. It was our team rule that we had to play in them so that's when I got - not introduced to them, but got into it. Through the minors I started collecting some, just to wear, and that's when I told myself I want to become a Jordan athlete and did all I could to do it.

Being a die-hard Knicks fan, I remember hunting down these orange-and-blue Nikes that they only released in England. And I used to hunt for sneakers when I DJ'd in Japan. But then Nike flooded the market with a head-spinning array of color combinations and it just didn't seem cool anymore.

I've always loved Nike shoes, and I'm in a position where I like to collect them now, especially the limited-edition Jordan and Air Max pairs. My house is full of special releases.

People assume that, as an NBA athlete, you can get access to any kind of sneaker you want, when in reality, it's hard to get the exclusive releases or shoes from the past and feel confident they're authentic.

Some people - which I don't understand - kind of get mad like I'm disrespecting shoes. I'm like, 'They are sneakers, they are meant to be worn, meant to be played in.' And I hate when people use them as trophies. They are sneakers. It's one of my pet peeves. I got pairs if I don't want to wear, I will get a couple pairs of them.

The passion for sneakers has been there since day one, but I never held onto them. I never shrunkwrap them. It's always been about getting it, buying it, wearing it, showing it and moving on to the next one.

Everybody asks me if I've always been a sneakerhead. No. I was never a sneakerhead until I had the money to be a sneakerhead.

I love sneakers. I live in Keds.

I don't really see myself as a sneakerhead. I think I'm someone that likes to have a nice pair of shoes on when they're playing.

Some New York bands you'll see rocking Ones or Dunks and things like that, but it is weird that the sneakerhead thing has become so massive. Personally, I think it's really silly.

Jordan 1s are my favourite sneaker, and I also love the Jordan Eclipse.

I never really had the money to be a sneakerhead.

I give a lot of shoes away, but there are some shoes that sometimes I'm like, I don't think they ever even released these. Sometimes, I don't know what they've released. But sometimes, friends of mine that work for Nike will visit and say, 'They never made these, so you need to hold on to these.'

I'm at like 325 pairs right now, give or take. But I've given away about 200 pairs of sneakers. I'm not as big of a collector as I used to be, because I think the game just got weird. Everybody likes to collect now, so it's kind of corny. But I got the essentials.

Not obsessed with particularly Nike, but sneakers in general. I love them.

Coming up, you [got new] sneakers and you had to run outside to make sure everyone saw. It was on display. That's just part of Hip Hop culture, part of the competitive spirit of Hip Hop. This is not new, I don't believe it's new.

In terms of being a 'sneakerhead,' there was one point where I was obsessively following every sneaker blog. That's the beauty of Twitter: To get the heads up on what's coming out.

I'm not like a super duper sneaker head. I got a couple pairs, but I'm not a "stand in line for sneakers" type of dude.

I still wear my trousers baggy as I did in my teens. But in a different way. I've loved trainers since my youth - limited edition, vintage, whatever. You could recognise people and judge their character through their trainers. I'm a Nike man.

I look at myself as someone who's really true to the sneaker culture.

There was a time when only athletes had sneakers. Entertainers having sneakers, on any level, is a blessing.

One thing that is unique to Stadium Goods is that they have a consolidated view of everything that is going on in the footwear ecosystem because they are connecting with customers, both buyers and sellers of sneakers, in so many different places.

I was a sneakerhead before I even made it to the NBA.

The way I was raised, you get a new pair of sneakers when the old one gets messed up. But when I got to high school, I started dating girls and trying to fit in, and I realized everybody was collecting Jordans. When I would get my paychecks, I wouldn't even take money. I would just trade them for sneakers.

I am a sneakerhead, and I grew up a sneakerhead.