As seen on F5toRefresh 7/19/11
This past weekend, followers of my Twitter account caught a glimpse of the newest Sacramento King, Jimmer Fredette, endearing himself to fans and improving his golf game at the American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament. Despite the lockout, professional basketball remains a hot topic, especially for Kings fans.
In the course of a subsequent conversation, a friend asked, “do you think Jimmer is the next Jason Williams?” I really had to contemplate this question. I think Jimmer will have a nice career in the NBA. I think he could be better than Jason Williams. Mayor Fredette? Of course! Upon a few more moments of reflection, though, the answer was clear – Jimmer is not the next Jason Williams, because Jason Williams is incomparable. For a 11 year old point guard in 1998, there will never be another J-Will. Feelings of nostalgia ensued.
“To be a kid another year”
By the time I entered high school, J-Will was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Mike Bibby and Brent Price. The Sacramento Kings started a new era as championship contenders, but the “Attitude Era” of J-Will and the Greatest Show on Court still resonated with me. I needed the #55 jersey on every team. I needed McDavid knee bands (who the hell is Osgood Schlatter?). Most of all, I needed every pair of basketball shoes J-Will wore: The Holistic Uptempo, the Powermatic, the Big Flyer, the list goes on. I took the court for my first high school basketball game in our decades old, “home white” jerseys and, due to the unusual amount of large players on the team, I was afforded the pleasure of wearing one of three pairs of size small shorts (shout out to the public school system). Two inches above the knees and made out of some sort of dazzle cloth, this was needless to say, not a good look. What would J-Will do? Wear outlandish, shiny moonshoes. Yes. I did just that.
While the war over lightweight sneakers rages on to this day, the Nike Hyperflight was revolutionary for me, but not just because they weighed 13.7 ounces. Anything with Zoom Air and a Herringbone outsole is great for basketball in my book, but these were different. Designed by Eric Avar in 2001, the Hyperflights embodied J-Will’s style – the ethos of “the gym could be empty, and I’d still come down 3-on-1 and throw it behind my back.” I threw a half court alley oop with :02 left to win that game. I kid you not.
“I can only imagine…and my imagination is amazing”
Seeking out a secondary shoe for away games, I looked again to the Jason Williams arsenal. Herringbone returned, though with a little more rigidity at the cost of more weight. I was captivated by the custom embroidery on his Hyperflight Player Edition shoes, so naturally, I turned my attention to NIKEiD, and their newly introduced Nike Shox BB4 option.
I like to refer to these as NDP’s favorites. Sneaker expert, authority on all things J-Will, and my senior in the basketball program, Nick, seeing them for the first time, gave me a well deserved “what in the world…” In a Christmas tournament that season, I pulled up for a 30 foot three pointer on a fast break. Time slowed down, and I thought to myself, “why are you doing these things?” I could almost feel my coach, standing on the sideline behind me, reaching for the back of my jersey to yank me out of the game. Somehow, the shot went in. He joked, “it must be the shoes?” Something like that.
Pulling these shoes out for the first time in several years, I distinctly remember the cultural spark Jason Williams gave the Kings, and even more so the city of Sacramento. It extended beyond the court. Maybe it was the controversial tattoos and the Double Nickel custom plates. Maybe it was the “White Chocolate” craze, and the indirect association with Eminem (the Slim Shady LP was released in his rookie year). Somehow, he reached people from all different backgrounds, all around the world. I rooted for Jason Williams because he was a flawed hero. He was never perfect, his fault or others (Raef LaFrentz, you gotta dunk that $#%%), but he was bold, and he was honest. He had fun, and won a NBA title along the way.
Will Jimmer Fredette have this type of impact on a new generation of aspiring basketball players? I hope he has good shoes.
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