80 Minutes 

I am a huge basketball fan. It started when I was roughly 13 or 14 years old.  This is before smartphones and fast, reliable internet. I’m showing my age. I used to go to the local library and sift through the NBA Encyclopedia. I would read over all the different statistics of various players, memorizing numbers and years. I could tell you that in the ‘99-’00 season Tim Duncan averaged a career-best 23.2 points per game and 12.4 rebounds. I was obsessed with stats and spent as much time studying them as I would my homework. 

I played it often as well. I had my sneakers, shorts, and beaten-up t-shirts. My gear if you will. Thus far, you can picture me as your run-of-the-mill recreational ball-playing NBA superfan. And here is where I draw a line.  

Let's talk about 'kicks', slang for sneakers. I was a utility kind of guy, caring less about style or fashion and more about sturdiness, durability, and comfort. There’s a story that early in his career, Michael Jordan’s sneakers used to leave him with bloody feet. They were that rigid.  But boy did they look flashy.