Nike remains one of the top footwear brands in the industry, but Hollywood legend Samuel L. Jackson hasn't owned a pair of its sneakers in three decades. In the latest episode of Complex's Sneaker Shopping, he explains why he hasn't owned any Nike sneakers since the 1990s.
During the '90s, Jackson's friend and fellow actor, Bill Nunn, had a Nike deal and offered to connect the him with the brand. But Nike neglected to hook Jackson up with its products and his outlook on the Swoosh soured. But as fate would have it, just then, Reebok reached out to Jackson and a new relationship was formed.
"He called Nike and they were like, 'Who?' and then the next day Reebok showed up, and gave me these catalogs and said 'Anything you want,'" Jackson explained. "Nike calls later and goes 'Uh,' and I said 'No, I'm good.'"
Despite not owning any Nike sneakers since the '90s, Jackson broke down the sneakers that he does currently own, including owning over 150 pairs of the Adidas Stan Smiths and Rod Lavers.
"I found about nine pairs in my garage last year while I was going to London because I had them in boxes and I hadn't labeled them," Jackson said. "I took them to New York when I was going there to do a play."
Check out the full episode of Complex's Sneaker Shopping with Jackson, including all the sneakers he picked up, above.
