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Jordan Howenstine
Nike LeBron 9 “Freegums” for Air Jordan XVII “College Blue”
Summer 2012. LeBron had just won his first ring, and his shoes were hotter than ever in any colorway. Luckily, I found a pair of Nike LeBron 9 “Freegums” at a thrift shop for $30. I wore them a couple of times but just casually. One night, I was browsing the Nike and Jordan keywords on Craigslist and randomly came across someone with a barely-used pair of “College Blue” Air Jordan XVIIs. With that being my second favorite Air Jordan silhouette of all time, I immediately texted him and asked if he’d take anything in trades (I was a broke intern). First thing he said was LeBrons, so we met up the next night at McDonalds and traded straight up. It turns out his friend gave him the XVIIs for some odd reason. Then, he gave up the gem for a pair of LeBrons that he could have went and got brand new and on sale at the mall. Dumb newbies.
I’m proud to say that I’ve never made any truly regrettable trades, but my biggest rethink was for my first college Spring Break. My older brother and some friends wanted to do a road trip to Florida and hop on a 4-night cruise. They found a great deal for $350. I was had no money at the time, but people would always tell me to let them know if I ever wanted to sell any of my sneakers. Long story short, I cashed out my “Mist Blue” Air Jordan 4, “Varsity Red” Air Jordan 10 and WMNS Air Jordan 8 “Aqua” for $500 for the Spring Break cruise. I’m a firm believer in MEMORIES OVER MATERIALS, so I’d do it again in a heartbeat, but today I really wish I still had those three rare pairs. Shout out to my boy Booder in Lansing. You’re welcome bro!
