Generous Sneakerhead Moments That Restored Our Faith in Sneaker Culture

Image via Complex Original

Whether you love him or love to hate him, you’ve got to give Marshawn Lynch his due props for this one. Following a November road win over the Dallas Cowboys, “Beast Mode” stopped in for a quick bite at McDonald’s when he struck up a conversation with a worker, 17-year-old Terrance Downs.

Downs told Lynch that he liked his sneakers, a pair of navy blue Buscemis, and before he knew it, Lynch handed him $500 to buy a pair. “If you're serious about getting those shoes, here's some money to help you get 'em. My job is to continue to see you grow,” Lynch reportedly told the young man.

Later, the story got even more touching when we found out that Downs didn’t have to spend the money after all, as Buscemi ended up sending him a pair of $1,950 “Multi-Color Elaphe” 100MM sneakers for free.

You don’t have to be a sneakerhead to appreciate the story of an anonymous student who hooked up a classmate who was being bullied with new Nike LeBron sneakers.

“Here you go, I gave you a pair of shoes, since you felt bad yesterday about how everyone was making fun of your shoes,” the young man told his friend before the two shared a hug.

The clip, which originated from Facebook, was later shared by LeBron James himself on Instagram. Unfortunately, there isn’t much more information available for this one, but the footage alone is enough to make you feel like someone’s cutting onions.

In 2013, sneaker designer Ronnie Fieg decided to do something out of the ordinary with his “Super Green” ASICS Gel-Lyte III collaboration. Motivated by the Soles 4 Souls charity, Fieg linked up with ASICS to produce a limited run of 300 pairs of these Gel-Lyte IIIs. The sneakers were to be distributed to the less fortunate in Haiti, a task that Fieg assigned to one of his employees who personally flew down to hand-deliver the shoes.

The “Super Green” Gel-Lyte IIIs have since gone on to become one of Fieg’s most sought-after collaborations, with samples often fetching thousands of dollars on the resell market.

“We get so caught up in our day-to-day. It is almost impossible for us to disconnect from everything and look at life from a higher perspective. It is a gift to be able to positively affect the world, even in a minor way, by doing what I love for a living,” Fieg said of the sneakers in his 2015 book Homage.

Founded in 2012, Andre McDonnell’s It’s From the Sole non-profit laces NYC’s homeless community in clean sneakers, one pair at a time. After gifting his own sneakers to a homeless man following a game of pick-up basketball, McDonnell walked away barefoot and got a first-hand reminder of what the homeless have to go through on a day-to-day basis.

“As I walked away, I felt the gravel under my own feet, and it just hit me there has to be something more that I can do,” McDonell told the New York Post in 2014.

Earlier this year, McDonell spoke with Sole Collector about the motivation behind It’s From the Sole: “There’s tons of people that want to help the homeless. But, they don’t want to deal with the homeless. I don’t want to do soup kitchens. I love sneakers. We want to take the sneaker culture and utilize it in a positive way.”

When rapper Trinidad James decided to do a huge sneaker giveaway last Christmas, he made it a point to ensure that the kicks ended up in the hands of those who actually needed them most.

“This is for the hood and LESS fortunate. Don't bring your middle class got two parents in your household face ass through,” James wrote on Instagram.

Tell ‘em how you really feel, Trinidad. To be perfectly honest, it’s a shame that James even had to clarify this, but that doesn’t take away from the incredibly generous gesture. Props for keeping it real and giving back at the same time.

You might not know the name Kiante Young, but to some Harlem residents, he’s nothing short of a local celebrity. In 2008, Young became fed up with his massive sneaker collection and decided to give back by donating 400 pairs to a Harlem Goodwill.

“I have so much of everything, and there are so many people that don’t. So I was giving someone a chance to have cool kicks,” Young told Brooklyn Daily. 

That’s the spirit, fam.  

Earlier this year, 26-year-old Matt Neal of Ann Arbor, Mich. made headlines when his attempt to swap a pair of adidas Yeezy Boost 350 sneakers for a new kidney went viral. The story was picked up by everyone from Complex Sneakers to TMZ, and before long, Neal’s inboxes were flooded with generous sneakerheads looking to donate, many of whom didn’t even want the Yeezys.

“I'm not trying to make money off of this. I’m trying to raise awareness of the fact that there’s millions of people in the USA and there’s millions of people that could go get tested and save a life. If somebody else could reap benefits from this too maybe, that would be awesome,” Neal told Sole Collector.

In 2013, clothing brand Rock ‘em Apparel noticed comments from a young man named Nick Lenyo who was in search of a pair of Kobe VI “Kay Yow” sneakers. Lenyo, who was in the process of undergoing chemotherapy for bone cancer, had a personal connection to the pink sneakers, but couldn’t find them anywhere.

That’s when the brand decided to create an Instagram post offering its assistance. Within minutes, a sneakerhead named Michael Smith stepped up and offered to gift his pair to Lenyo. 

“My family has unfortunately been plagued with cancer and other illnesses for a long time… I wanted to do something for Nick because what my dad needed most during his fights was support. I have a lot of respect for Nick as he continues to beat this cancer,” Smith said.

Last year during the holiday season, a story emerged of a North Carolina high schooler, Yaovi Mawuli, who went out of his way to bless a fellow student who was being bullied over his sneakers. Mawuli wanted to hook his friend up with a new pair, but was unsure how to go about it without making him feel bad, so he took to Facebook to ask his followers what the best approach would be.

“I could not live with the fact that such a cool guy would be made fun of in this way,” Mawuli later told Nice Kicks.

Mawuli ended up giving his peer a fresh pair of “Concord” Air Jordan XI Lows, a heartwarming moment that will live on in sneaker culture for a long time to come. 

Not only is Niketalk one of the best resources for sneaker information, but it’s also one of the most philanthropic groups of sneakerheads around. Since 2006, Niketalk has used its ad revenue and community contributions to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to dozens of charities including American Cancer Society, UNICEF, WWF, and many more.