Ian Stonebrook
Nike Shox Stunner for Three Different Shoes
As far back as I can recollect, I’ve never traded a pair of shoes with friends. I’ve given a few away, received some great hand-me-downs from my big cousin Ty, but never straight up done a one-for-one. The closest “trade” and also the best comes from a return I made back when I was in eighth grade. Jason Williams was my guy – still is – and the Foot Locker at my local mall had on display the all-black Nike Shox Stunner that he rocked with the Memphis Grizzlies. I saved up my chore money, picked up a pair and went straight to the gym to hoop in them. After a couple games of 21, it was apparent I had gotten the wrong size and that these wouldn’t be much fun to play in. A few weeks later, one of the bands broke on one of the Shox columns when putting them on. Is that a reason to return? In most cases, no, but weeks before I’d seen someone return a pair of R4s that they mowed the lawn in so I thought it was worth a shot.
To my luck, they took them back and I’m pretty sure they gave me cash. I picked up a pair of Nike Air Elevates in White/Carolina Blue (a Foot Locker exclusive that was like the Hyperflights/Zoom Turbines) and a pair of White/Red Reebok X-Beams. Somehow I still had some extra money, so I hit up Sibley Shoes and copped a pair of Nike Air Pure Assists, which actually looked really good in the “Cool Grey” patent colorway. All three shoes got regular rotation for hoops and casual wear, with no regrets on any. While I’d still take a pair of Stunners over any of those three today, I had a lot of fun rocking the ones I got with the return money. It should also be noted that years later I could never get a job at that Foot Locker, so maybe it was karma for my shady swap.
Twitter: @ianstonebrook/Instagram: ianstonebrook
