The other week the NBA Slam Dunk Contest was on TV. I didn’t watch it, but I did see highlights. It got me thinking about a classic dunk moment: back in '91 or ‘92 the Celtics’ Dee Brown won the dunk contest. When Brown won the contest, he was wearing the popular new Reebok “Pump” shoes. The one’s with the basketball shaped “pump” at the top of the shoe’s tongue.
The reason I remember this event in particular is because I was in grade school at the time. The “Pump” were the coolest shoes you could have. Just wearing them would increase your athletic ability. This was confirmed as a scientific fact when before going for his winning dunk Dee Brown bent over and pumped up his shoes. That was all the proof I needed. He pumped his shoes, and then he won the contest. It all made perfect sense. Having “Pump” shoes would surely do the same for me. Maybe not allow me to win the NBA Dunk Contest, but some type of smaller scale equivalent – I was only in fourth grade at the time.
So I ended up getting a pair of “Pump” shoes and now the only memories I have of them are that “pumping” them would make it feel like a closer fit (like you had pulled the laces tight). You also had to be sure that you didn’t pump them up to far, because according to some kids on the playground there was a sixth grader whose cousin had a pair and when he pumped them too far they exploded (the pump, not his feet) and wouldn’t work after that.
Well then, has any type of on-screen movie appearance or celebrity endorsement made you want (or not want) to buy a product?