10/2/2015 Spud Webb Looks Back on His Classic Pony Sneakers | GQ
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Spud Webb Looks Back on His Classic Pony Sneakers
By Jeff Vrabel a day ago
http://www.gq.com/story/spudwebbponysneakersnba 1/13 10/2/2015 Spud Webb Looks Back on His Classic Pony Sneakers | GQ
On Feb. 8, 1986, Spud Webb—all 5 feet 7 inches of him—won the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest, routing his 6’8” Hawks teammate Dominique Wilkins, instantly becoming a legend while making everyone wonder what the hell just happened. At the time Webb was rocking his signature Pony City Wings (though you might know them as “The Spuds”), stark red-and-black low-tops that, after the contest, became almost as famous as the man himself. Now president of basketball operations for the Texas Legends of the NBA Developmental League, Webb talked about how his Wings helped him soar.
GQ: How involved were you in the design of the Pony City Wings?
http://www.gq.com/story/spudwebbponysneakersnba 2/13 10/2/2015 Spud Webb Looks Back on His Classic Pony Sneakers | GQ Spud Webb: Pony already had some designs ready when we first started talking about me joining. I thought they were cool, but I wanted a low top, and they were able to make that change.
When did you first take the court with them?
It was the ’85-’86 season and I was with the Hawks. We played against the Bullets and I had a double-double. Must have been the shoes—haha.
What was your deal at the time?
I can’t remember the cash involved, but I do know my friends and I had all the shoes and gear we could want. We had Pony stuff for every occasion. I will say that it was a nice deal—especially after the dunk contest.
http://www.gq.com/story/spudwebbponysneakersnba 3/13 10/2/2015 Spud Webb Looks Back on His Classic Pony Sneakers | GQ
What was the public’s reaction?
I didn’t know what people thought of the shoes and Pony until after I won the dunk contest. That and going on the Johnny Carson show brought them in the public eye. They looked like the Jordans that year, so they gave people an alternative to something that was already popular.
How did the shoes affect your identity and image?
I think people associated the shoe directly with me—I heard them called the Spuds or the Spud Webbs a lot ,and not so much the City Wings—so it was cool to be new in the league and have people thinking I had my own shoe. Between the shoes and the dunk contest, I had a lot of other marketing opportunities that http://www.gq.com/story/spudwebbponysneakersnba 4/13 10/2/2015 Spud Webb Looks Back on His Classic Pony Sneakers | GQ followed, both with Pony and other businesses. The success with Pony helped me get another shoe deal many years later with Mizuno. They were new to basketball and wanted to try and break into the NBA like Pony was able to do, and my track record helped to get a great deal from them.
How do you look back at that time now?
It’s cool to think back and recognize that I was a part of the beginning of the modern shoe game. With Jordan and now LeBron, James Harden and KD getting these massive deals, it’s an honor to be an O.G. of all of it.
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