So, I was clearing out the attic the other weekend. Man, what a job. Dust everywhere, boxes I haven’t opened in probably fifteen years. You know how it is. Anyway, tucked way back in a corner, behind some old blankets, I saw this glint of metal.
Pulled it out. And there it was. The suitcase. The actual metal briefcase for the Jordan 17s. Totally forgot I even still had this thing.
Finding the Kicks
Of course, the first thing I did was pop the latches. Felt pretty stiff, but they opened. And inside? Yep, the kicks themselves. The white and red ones. They weren’t pristine, not gonna lie. A bit yellowed on the soles, some dust settled in there. But still, seeing them again? Hit me right in the feels.
I remember wanting these so bad back when they dropped. What was it, 2002? I was working this terrible part-time job, barely making enough for gas money. Seeing Michael Jordan actually playing again, wearing these, and they came in this insane metal case? It was like the ultimate flex back then. Couldn’t afford them. Not even close.
Funny story how I actually got them. It wasn’t until maybe a year or two later. I’d finally landed a slightly better job, nothing fancy, just processing invoices or something boring like that. But it was my first steady paycheck. I wasn’t saving much, still living with my parents. I saw a pair, with the case, pop up on some early online forum. Someone was selling them, barely used. It was still a ton of money for me, like, a huge chunk of my paycheck.
I debated it for days. Seemed stupid, right? Spend all that cash on sneakers? But it felt like… I don’t know, proving something to myself? That I could finally get the thing I couldn’t have before. So, I did it. Met the guy in some parking lot, felt super sketchy, but I handed over the cash and walked away with this ridiculously heavy metal suitcase.
- Got them home.
- Opened the case probably a hundred times that first week.
- Wore the shoes maybe… twice?
Yeah, seriously. I was too scared to mess them up after spending all that money and effort. Plus, they weren’t exactly the most comfortable things I owned. So, they went back in the case. And the case? It just looked cool sitting in my room for a while. Then I moved out, got my own place, moved again… and somewhere along the way, the suitcase with the Jordans got packed away and ended up forgotten in the attic.
Finding them again now, it’s weird. It brings back all that memory of being young, wanting stuff you can’t afford, that feeling of finally getting it. That whole phase of life. The shoes themselves? Probably just gonna clean ’em up a bit. Display them somewhere maybe? Definitely keeping that crazy suitcase. It’s more about the story now than the shoes, I guess.
