Don't you ever say Adam Jones doesn't have a sense of style. Some might even say too much style. Three years ago, the Orioles center fielder's Nike Air Swingman MVP "Camo Toe" (get it?) cleats were banned by Major League Baseball.
His civilian fashion demands attention, too. In this revealing Associated Press feature, we learn that he has 40 to 50 "statement socks" (at least one pair includes mustaches); a $1,200 pair of low-top, animal-print sneakers from French designer Lanvin; and 10 pairs of Air Jordans that required a "shoe-sleuthing crew of 10 people." (I would've described them as shoe gumshoes, but shoe-sleuthing crew works, too, I guess.)
But calling these Jordans typical shoes would be like calling Jones a typical center fielder, and he is certainly not that.
This is a Nike Air Jordan Doernbecher. Doernbecher is Doernbecher Children's Hospital, an academic teaching children's hospital in Portland, Oregon, associated with Oregon Health & Science University. Every year since 2004, Nike designers and developers have partnered with Doernbecher patients who have battled serious illnesses to build a shoe unique to each patient. The children choose the colors, styles and materials, and the resulting Freestyle Collection has raised over $14 million to help expand the hospital's research and care.
Jones told the AP he spent over $2,500 on a special-release pair of Air Jordan 5s designed by Isaac Arzate like those seen above. Several years ago, Arzate, a preteen baseball and basketball player, suffered a cardiac arrest during basketball practice and was sent to Doernbecher, where doctors discovered a heart abnormality. He underwent open-heart surgery and, after being invited to the Freestyle program, started designing a custom pair during his recovery.
In April 2012, Arzate suffered a second, fatal heart attack, and Nike, Doernbecher and his family worked together to finish his design. Covering the shoe are words from a poem Isaac wrote a day before his passing.
"The shoe will never get made again, so I look at it as I'm blessed to be able to throw money away like that," Jones said. "I'm just blessed to find a passion. I like shoes. I like Jordans, so, hey, it's all part of it."
For more on Jones' haute couture, including how he turned plugs into jewelry, watch the video above and read the full AP story.