That makes them an engaged and cynical bunch, curious to try new things while downplaying brands, such as Nike Air Jordan sneakers or Doc Marten shoes, and logos, like Izod or Tommy Hilfiger.

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In fact, he liked the shoes so much, Heard said, that Jordan ran out of his house in his socks when the meeting was over yelling at the Nike crew to leave him a pair of shoes.

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These shoes, in the black and red colorway, are the ones Jordan wore when he hit the game-winning shot over Byron Russell of the Utah Jazz in Game six of the 1998 NBA Finals.

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John Poynor, associate developer for Jordan Footwear at Nike, called to say that Nike was going to make him a custom pair of shoes.

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