There is no better day than today, the opening day of the 2015-16 NBA season, to shine our Community Spotlight on Indiana’s Jason Donnar. Jason is not only a huge sneaker lover but also a basketball junkie who is a day one Allen Iverson fan.
Take a few minutes out of your day to read about a fellow sneakerhead, and then let us know who you think we should feature next week in the comments section below.
Name: Jason Donnar
Location: Indiana
Social Media: Twitter and Instagram
Jeffrey Jason: When did you start collecting kicks?
Jason Donnar: I’ve always been a fan of shoes and always had nice pairs for basketball season and the gym, but my actual “collecting” was not until 2011 after I could afford it with a full time job.
JJ: Who or what shoe started it all for you?
JD: The first Jordan I fell in love with was the Infrared VI and Bred XI. Those are two shoes I personally remember seeing on MJ’s feet and being like, “Wow I have to have those.” Back then, I had no idea shoes would ever retro or I would see them again but regardless, I was buying my own shoes from working side jobs at fast food places.
The first shoe I personally ever grabbed that I truly fell in love with was the classic White/Red and Black/Gold Reebok Answer 1s. The DMX technology was something ahead of its time and made the shoe look amazing. I use to record myself playing outside my house on our basketball court just so I could see what the shoes looked like on feet — way before the era of cell phones [Laughs].
JJ: What was your last pickup?
JD: Air Jordan 1 High OG “UNC” and adidas Ultra Boost “Grey”. Ultra Boost is the most comfortable shoe of all time. I pretty much never want to wear anything outside of them ever again.
JJ: What is your grail or shoe you’re still hunting for?
JD: This list could go on for days, but I’ll just stick with LeBrons and it’s a three-way tie:
- LeBron 9 Elite from the Champ Pack
- LeBron 8 V1 “HWC”
- LeBron 3 “Dunkman”
JJ: What do you love most about sneaker culture?
JD: The friends and connections I’ve made from social media is beyond what I expected. If you are not part of the culture or involved, a lot of people don’t understand it or have pretty high opinions on it (either good or bad) but I’ve made personal true friends from sneakers and that’s something I could never take back.
JJ: What would you like to see change/more of in sneaker culture?
JD: Getting back to how it use to be when I started making videos on YouTube in 2012-13. Back when people would buy what they like and just post a video on it. Nowadays, it’s the same kids going after the same hyped shoes and not even being into sneakers but seeing the $$ involved and convincing themselves they are into sneakers. The only positive that comes from that is now people don’t hype up LeBrons as much, so some of the older/harder to get pairs have dropped drastically in resale prices which I can’t complain about.
JJ: Someone else’s collection I really admire is _______
JD: One of my good friends I’ve met from social media who also happens to share the same passion and shows it through YouTube/Instagram/Twitter like myself and he goes by @iAmTMCII on his social media accounts. “T” happens to wear the same size as me and his collection is one of the biggest I’ve ever seen from anyone, his videos on Youtube prove that, and I always like seeing the array of choices he has and we have friendly competition in going after shoes we both want to see who can acquire first and who can get for the best price.
