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The first time I got into sneakers when I was a little kid - probably at age 6. I remember my dad wearing the original Air Jordan 13’s everywhere every time we went out. The Jordan 13’s really triggered my passion for sneakers because I thought they looked so stylish and unique. Knowing Michael Jordan destroyed the league while wearing them made them that much better.
Additionally, I remember getting the Air Zoom Generation in the black/red colorway as a kid. I remember asking my dad to lace them up for me. LeBron’s first signature shoe also sparked my passion for sneakers, particularly basketball shoes.
DGHOOPS is my personal brand showcasing my passion for basketball and sneakers. I post videos and photos of myself playing basketball, and also specialize in basketball footwear content. All my life, I’ve played basketball competitively. Once I stopped, I wanted to continue sharing my passions with the world - so I took it to Instagram and ended up building a large audience!
Everything I post on DGHOOPS is a reflection of me - even if I didn’t have a camera, I’d be doing the same exact things. With that said, my goal is not only to build a basketball sneaker community, but also to represent Asians in sports. There aren’t a lot of Asian basketball players and I want to be a positive representation of that and give inspiration to the youth. In the future, I hope to continue growing my audience and being a role model for upcoming Asian American hoopers.
I partnered with Under Armour to market the Curry 8 “Flow Like Water” colorway at the Chase Center in San Francisco. After posting pictures of the campaign to my social media, Stephen Curry followed me! This was a crazy moment because Steph Curry is my favorite player, so it was nice to feel recognized and appreciated by him. At first, I didn’t believe it was real. I remember looking at my phone for hours, trying to understand what just happened!
I also partnered with Eastbay to promote the Curry 8. For this campaign, I posted many videos of myself playing basketball in a mismatched colorway (blue and yellow). One night against the Orlando Magic, Steph Curry wore the same shoes as me in the same exact mismatched style. Hours after the game, Steph commented on my post to personally tell me that I inspired his shoes that night. This really impacted the sneaker community, specifically the Curry shoe community. To know that Steph Curry noticed, was inspired, and appreciated me is a feeling I’ll never forget.
Collecting sneakers is all about memories and the stories you make in them. I’m a firm believer in wearing your shoes and making memories in them that will last the rest of your life. I’m also not brand loyal - so, I will wear any brand as long as I like the product. Today, people are so caught up in brands and hype. It’s important to remember that collecting sneakers is all about what YOU like, not what everyone else likes. As long as you’re happy with your shoes, that’s all that matters
Right now, I’m wearing the Jordan 4 “Union”, Jordan 12 “Flu Game", and Jordan 3 Black Cement. For basketball, I’m wearing the Nike GT Cut, Kyrie 7, Curry 9, Kyrie 5, and Kobe 5 Protro. As you can tell, I love basketball shoes!
Getting a new pair of shoes is always a very happy feeling. But I think the most fun part is the “chase” to get shoes!
I like researching the shoe beforehand, seeing detailed pictures, planning to buy the shoes, etc. I think building up the hype for a shoe I know I’m going to purchase is really fun. When I finally get the shoe in hand, I always love trying it on and putting them on my feet the first chance I get.
Honestly, right now, I’m the happiest when I get new pairs of basketball shoes! I can’t wait to try them out on the court, especially after building the hype for them.
I believe Jordan and Yeezy should collaborate. A Jordan and Adidas Yeezy collaboration would be really monumental for the sneaker industry because we have never seen two rival brands work together. Jordan and Yeezy are easily the two most popular brands right now - so why not collaborate and make a sneaker together?
The most underrated pair is the Air Jordan 13 (for basketball). Most people think of the Air Jordan 13 as a lifestyle retro shoe. However, it’s actually an amazing, high-performing basketball shoe that caters to all play styles. They have durable materials, great cushions, and an overall fantastic aesthetic. Also - Michael Jordan got buckets in them. What’s not to love about that?
My favorite brand is definitely Nike. As a basketball footwear fanatic, I always appreciate how innovative Nike is in their basketball shoes regarding technology and design. As a basketball player, I always go to Nike for the best shoes. I also love Curry Brand and Stephen Curry’s focus on giving back to underserved communities.
My grail that I haven’t been able to get is the 1985 Air Jordan 1. I want that shoe because it’s the original model, and because Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time. I have so much respect for MJ and want to own his original shoes. That would make my sneaker collection really complete.
My favorite creator is @Nightwing2303 and @WearTesters. I know Chris personally and have played basketball with him for years. I appreciate his knowledge about sneakers and learn a lot from him. I remember being in college watching his videos, trying to learn everything I could about basketball shoes and the footwear industry.
I attribute a lot of my knowledge to him. I highly recommend watching his videos if you haven’t already. As I said, he is an expert on not only footwear in general, but also basketball shoes specifically.
My daily essentials are my massage gun and foam roller. As an athlete, these are crucial items for my body to recover. I can’t live without these, or else my body would be very sore from playing basketball as often as I do!
Follow me @dghoops on Instagram, @zdghoops on TikTok/Twitter, and @DGHOOPS on YouTube!
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