He’s an illustrious, San Antonio-based custom footwear designer whose shoes have been worn by celebrities including LeBron James and Puff Daddy, as well as for major brands including Pepsi and Whataburger. They’re going to buy whatever they see at the mall or whatever a celebrity is wearing,” Danklefs, who considers himself an old head, said. The more than 1,000 people expected to attend the jam were a wide range of ages, from middle school kids clustered in awe around the flashy shoes to men who’ve made collecting sneakers a large part of their life - or “old heads” as Jake Danklefs calls them. Chavarria estimated O’Neal’s sneakers cost about $3,000.
He also had a pair of sneakers that belonged to NBA legend and Cole High School graduate Shaquille O’Neal, which were size 22 and looked about double the size of Spurs player Tony Parker’s sneaker, which lay beside O’Neal’s. Roger Chavarria was showing shoes signed by Spurs players Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Along the rows, baby shoes sat on displays next to snapback hats with the words “too dope” and large high-tops stamped with images of heavy metal bands.
