story

The Drop-Off: LeBron 9 'Big Bang' with UNKNWN

"Yo it's Frankie Walker. co-founder of UNKNWN [@frankiewalkersr]. We're in our hometown of Akron, Ohio at the legendary Summer Lake Community Center. The good folks over at SNKRS blessed us with some packages. So let's get inside, get out of the cold and check them out."

"What's up, Pat? How you doing bud? Good to see you. Everything been good? Good good good. All right. SNKRS App brought over some packages for us. We've obviously been here for a while..."

"...Summer Lake, since I was a kid, you guys were overseeing everything we were doing. And I figured it'd be good to give it back to somebody who understands where we come from, understands what the history and the journey we've been on. So..."

"...I think it's a perfect time to dive into them and check them out.
All right. Thanks, man. Let's see what we got going on here. That's great, man. Oh, wow. Oh my goodness."

"Yeah, we got the LeBron 9 'Big Bang' Retro. Crazy galaxy liner, glow in the dark sole, and a bunch of cool details from his original All Star in Orlando."

"I believe he wore these. So Pat [Community Center Safety Liaison for City of Akron Recreation and Parks Division], the people out there probably want to get to know a little bit about you. And what you've done in the community center, not only Summer Lake, but throughout the whole Akron Rec. I've been around for some time. Yeah, definitely. Since we were kids."

"I advocated a lot of kids, young mans now. As in yourself or LeBron James. Absolutely. We started here when I was five years old that we came up and it's always been…"

"…our place that we call home. It's kind of where we got started. My group of friends, all of our bonds were established here. We spent a bunch of time here. Definitely a safe haven for a lot of kids who didn't have that. But for me..."

"…it's always been that place that we always look to as our starting point. So Pat, not only did I get a pair for you, I got a couple pairs for some guys who I know have been doing great work in the community."

"I'm excited to get them in a pair as well. So let's put these on and go present them and style guide them I'm going to be the one to show it off first. Yeah, there you go. Man they feel great. Man I really appreciate you man. No problem, man. Thanks. Thanks."

"Enjoy. Let's go out here and see if we can shoot em out.What's going on? What's going on fam. Good to see you man. Good to see you. Absolutely."

"Nike SNKRS actually came and dropped us off some gifts today, some footwear and I thought who better to give it to than the guys I know have been doing the work in the community through YBPC [@ybpc_akron] and Not Just October [@notjustoctober]."

"Appreciate that man. Thanks for thinking of us.And Dream Team Boxing [@dreamteam_youthboxing]. So I definitely wanted to make sure we got that in the hands of the people I know who've been doing the work. Down here at Summer Lake Community Center, and I know what this place has done for me and my family and my friends."

"Just kind of wanted to pick your brain and see what it means to you speak on and everything that you have going on in the Akron community as well. I'm currently building a juvenile treatment facility called Peace Homes. I founded Not Just October [@notjustoctober]..."

"…which is a nonprofit organization devoted to breast cancer awareness, aid, research, and education, all year and not just during the month of October. YBPC, The Young Black Professional Coalition [@ybpc_akron]. Our job is just to connect."

"Part of the coalition is to connect one another to different resources that we got going on in the city. I want you guys to have something special from not only Nike, but UNKNWN. So open the shoes. Tell me what you guys think, how you like them…"

"…what you guys got going on in those bags. Got to make sure guys who leading look good. So there you guys got the LeBron 9 Retro 'Big Bang'."

"Appreciate you guys, man. Appreciate you. Appreciate you. Appreciate it very much. Absolutely. Love, baby. Absolutely. Yo, thank you guys for tuning into this latest episode of The Drop-Off here at Summer Lake Community Center, Akron, Ohio"

"It's time for me to get out of the cold and get some more work done. Peace."