FIRE LACES X NAKOBE DEAN INTERVIEW

"I picked to go to UGA because it was like a gut feeling. My last day getting ready for my commitment I still did not know where I wanted to go. I just prayed to God and went with my gut feeling. Nobody really saw it coming."

"To be honest, going to class I would wear the team issued Nikes. Usually, if it was a day where I did not have to walk much or if we were going out, I would wear my Jordan’s. I am a big Jordan guy. Jordan 11’s were kind of my go to shoes. Then I got into the Jordan 3’s & 4’s. My little sister was a bigger sneakerhead than me though. She put me onto a lot of new sneakers and new styles that I probably would not have known if she did not tell me."

"The Air Jordan Retro 6 “Champagne” is a sneaker I have always wanted since I was growing up. I remember my friend’s mom had taken us to the Nike Factory the night before they opened. We slept at the Nike Factory all night so we could be the first people there when they opened. They were still sold out."

"My favorite all time sneakers would be the all-white Air Force 1’s. I know they are so plain and so simple, but I can wear them with anything. There isn’t a feeling like getting a new pair of those icy white Air Force 1’s. Air Jordan 11’s are definitely my favorite from a Jordan standpoint though."

"Before the [College Football] National Championship, we would already prepare like it was a championship game. So, it was like the nerves were not too bad. We had been training for this all year. During the game, the emotions were very high, the details were very important as always, but it was just magnified because of what the game was. We had already lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship, so we had to get these guys back. We went out there pissed and played with a chip on our shoulder. We just wanted it more. We were just able to overcome anything they threw at us and take the punches. It was a good game and a good heavy weight battle."

"I have been dressing up for games since I was in high school. Throwing a suit is not taboo for me. So, we were putting our minds together to figure out what kind of suit it would be for the draft. We knew nobody would really have a pastel or peach colored suit at the draft, so I was like alright, we can go with that. My mom knew she wanted me to have a hat on just because I wore a hat one time in the beginning of the season and it kind of blew up a little bit. So, we had the pastel and the white McQueen’s. But the thing that kind of set it off, was the vest. Nobody really was doing that. I didn’t know how to really feel about it at first, but I was like man, after seeing it all on, I knew that was it."

"I just wanted to get drafted to whatever team picked me. Coming into the league, I was looking forward to just being able to play really. To play against the best of the best and see where I stack up amongst them." 

"I actually have been wearing the high-top "Cool Grey" 11’s and the Nike "Panda" Dunk Low a lot in Philadelphia lately. Just going back-and-forth from work and everything, they are probably my most accessible shoes to just throw on with anything. Oh, and especially my Air Force 1’s too. I have like four or five pairs of Air Force 1’s, that I have not even worn yet."

"What separates me from a lot of the other guys is my mindset. The way I study. The way I prepare for the game. I feel like what I do I go very intrinsic with my details and dive deep into the people we are playing against. You know, I feel like even my passion for the game is second to none. Each second, I am on the field I am grateful I have the opportunity to play the game I love at the level I am playing at. Every time I get to play, I am excited, just excited."

"The impact I want to leave on the field is a legacy. I am not working to just be better than the man next to me. I am not working to just be better than the line-backer from last year."

"I am working to be one of the greatest to ever do it."