Mr. Boober Reflects On His Doernbecher Jordan 1

words & interview // Nick DePaula images_Keith Kunis It's been quite an eventful past couple of years for young Tony Taylor Jr. of Portland, Oregon, as he battled through and overcame a kidney transplant in 2007 with the help of the Doernbecher Children's Hospital and with his mother by his side. Just a year later, Tony, an avid sneaker fan and Air Jordan collector, got the chance of a lifetime as he was selected to design his very own Air Jordan 1 retro High as part of Nike's 5th Annual Doernbecher Freestyle project. Inspired by his triumph over kidney disease, Tony's design features a gradient fading patent leather upper, contrast stitching and of course the sharpest cue touching back to his nickname, Mr. Boober - the "I'M FRESH" tongue tag! To read all about the detailed backstory of his "Mr. Boober" Doernbecher 1's, be sure to check out last fall's feature HERE. I recently had a chance to catch up with Tony and chat all about his experience working on his very own shoe with both Jason Mayden and Estelle Maranan from Jordan Brand. He still frequently keeps in touch with the two, and was excited as ever to see how deeply sought after his shoes were upon their release last November. As our dis...