Behind the Scenes of SNEAKS With the Film’s Sneaker Culture Ambassador Bobbito Garcia
Remember when you got that pair of kicks to play in? You know, the ones you were begging for. Hoping for. Praying for. And then that anxious, exhilarating feeling that led up to that first time lacing ’em up? Then you’ve probably got something in common with our guy Edson, one of the characters from the new sneaker-themed animated film, SNEAKS.
In a world where talking sneakers embark on adventures, SNEAKS follows a pair of high-end sneaker siblings, Ty and Maxine, voiced by Anthony Mackie and Chloe Bailey. When Maxine is stolen before Edson’s (Swae Lee) high school game by the nefarious Collector (Laurence Fishburne), Ty journeys throughout New York City to find her.
Deadstock kicks collectors, hoopers wanting the latest heat and even replica endorsers are all represented. You’ve got original music by Mustard, Ella Mai, Roddy Ricch and more. You’ve got Chris Paul. Keith David plays a pair of Chuck Taylors, Martin Lawrence voices a scuffed-up sneaker named JB and Olympic skateboard phenoms Rayssa Leal and Sky Brown conduct the Borough Board Express as a pair of Nikes.
With a flick that follows sneakers running around the streets of Harlem and playing pick up at the park, writer-director Rob Edwards and the producers behind SNEAKS—including SLAM’s sister studio, RTG Features—brought in Bobbito Garcia, the legendary outdoor hoops historian (and baller), DJ, radio Hall of Famer, filmmaker and sneaker culture icon, to put that authentic stamp on it all.
For decades, Bobbito has contributed and chronicled NYC’s cultural rhythm and heartbeat, even rocking out with us in these pages since our inception in ’94. And with his memoir, Bobbito’s Book of B-Ball Bong Bong!, arriving in July as a historical documentation of NYC’s outdoor hoops scene from the 1960s to now, the multifaceted aficionado sat down with SLAM to discuss how his years of experience in various lanes aligned to serve as the film’s Sneaker Culture Ambassador.
SLAM: Over the years, you’ve had a hand in nearly every cultural avenue that stems from the game. How did you get involved with SNEAKS?
Bobbito Garcia: SNEAKS became, like, this culmination of almost everything that I’ve contributed to the culture in one project. Because they reached out to me basically based on, You’re an icon, sneakers, you’ve done designs for Nike, adidas, Pumas, Pro-Keds. You wrote the book [Where’d You Get Those? New York City’s Sneaker Culture: 1960–1987]. You hosted the first TV series in media history, It’s the Shoes, with ESPN. They knew what I had done. They wanted that authentic name attached to the project. I don’t think they knew how much they were getting when they brought me on board, though.
SLAM: When did you start consulting on the project?
BG: This whole process has been five years in the making. They first hit me up in 2020. I did most of my script consulting in 2021, 2022. I did the voice-overs in 2023. You know, animated features, it’s a big project. But ultimately, I don’t need to be on a basketball court uptown to be able to evoke the electricity that seeps out of the asphalt. Case in point, when I did NBA Street Vol. 2, I was in Vancouver, bro. I was in a studio in Vancouver, 3,000 miles away from Manhattan. But I brought that flavor within the chain link. When I was reading the script and working with Rob, anytime they stepped on the court, it was like, Oh yeah, that’s my life. That city shit is still inside me. It’s a part of all my organs; it’s a part of my brain, a part of my heart, a part of my liver, a part of my blood. I just tried to kind of let my ideas flow, and I’m grateful to their team for [lending the] ear.
SLAM: What kind of notes did you provide on the script?
BG: They kind of did really well with the sneaker stuff. Truth be told, I didn’t have to change too much in that world. But what I did do was, the film is based in New York, up in Harlem, and in certain scenes, [I was like,] This word is not really used. This slang would be better. And then I started tinkering, particularly with the basketball scenes, too. And here I am, this f**king indie filmmaker who’s done docs. I’ve got no representation. I’ve got no agent. I’m not a CAA. I’m not Hollywood. Rob Edwards has done Disney movies, sold millions at the box office. I’m in a Zoom with, like, five producers and yo, they are listening to everything I say! It was trippy. Here’s this Puerto Rican from 97th Street telling these big box office people, like, Nah you should do it like this. And they’re giving me no pushback. They’re like, OK, yeah, OK, cool, cool, cool. And I see the next script revision. And bro, everything I told them to do, they did. So that was empowering. It was like this culmination of, all right, cool, I’m not just a sneaker dude. I’m a ballplayer, first and foremost. And I’m a DJ. And I’m a filmmaker. And I’m a storyteller. And I’m an author. So I’m looking at the script, and I’m not looking at it like, Well, you know, this sneaker didn’t come out until ’77. It’s like, no, I’m looking at it from a storytelling aspect.
SLAM: You also voice yourself in the film. How was your character created?
BG: They were so happy with me during those sessions that they were like, Yo, we want you to be a character in the film, to voice-over one of the characters. I was like, Cool. I don’t think they knew what they were getting themselves into, because I don’t think any of them have played NBA Street Vol. 2 or Vol. 3. But even before that, I did 12 years on the radio in New York, and in 2023 I got inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Not only that, I did like 40 commercials for Nike. So, I’ve got, like, 30 years of voice-over experience that they’re unaware of. They’re just thinking like, Yo, this dude is sneakers. He’s authentic. He’s credible. He’s going to add energy to the cast. So we start recording. It wasn’t an audition. It was like a test. And I remember [producer] Robyn [Klein] hitting me up: I knew you were going to be good. I didn’t know you were going to be that good. I kind of tore that shit up. And then she came back and she was like, We want to make the character you. We want the character to be Bobbito. You’re going to play yourself. And then it was like, the guardrails were off.
SLAM: How did your past voice-over experiences compare to voicing your character in SNEAKS?
BG: When I did NBA Street Vol. 2, it’s not a knock on EA or a knock on the NBA, the League, but there were guardrails. The League represents a lot to a lot of people, and they have checks and balances. So even though I went nuts in the studio and was going off script, the NBA came back and was like, Well, we can’t say this, we can’t say this. But with SNEAKS, because I was already consulting the script, I could handcraft what I was going to say. And because I’m portraying myself, you’re getting full unabashed me straight from the court. That’s me on the court. That’s me at the Goat, aka Rock Steady Park on 99th and Amsterdam. That’s the character that you’re getting with crazy flavor.
SLAM: There’s so much inspiration to pull from with the movie based in NYC. Where does that authenticity shine?
BG: I told [Rob], You’re going to have a smash film. But there’s going to be a small community of people who enjoy this film on another layer that’s going to go over the heads of the mainstream public. And that is what’s going to make this project have longevity. And they clearly understood that. It’s something that I really didn’t have to explain to them. And it wasn’t something that they were apologetic about either. They knew. They were like, Yo, if we’re going to do this, we’ve got to do it right. Let’s get Bob. Let’s get Chris Paul. Let’s get Mustard. Let’s get people who are loved [across] different generations, different subsets and everything.
SLAM: Your memoir chronicling your journey on outdoor courts across the globe comes out this July. How much of an impact have these two recent projects had on you?
BG: In my memoir, I’m talking about [how] I was a scrub, going to the Goat, looking up to Mario Elie, the legend Earl Manigault, and how I’m inspired by these people and trying to work on my game. I’m still that 14-year-old who’s mystified by all of this. I worked so hard for decades and decades, committing myself to become a better ballplayer and helping out others and providing platforms for unknown up-and-coming MCs, players, poets, writers, you name it. I’ve done so much to give back. And then for this to happen. Time will tell, but this could very well be the biggest shit I’ve ever been a part of. And for it to happen at this stage of my career, yo man, that’s crazy. That’s crazy.
SNEAKS hits theaters April 18th. Get your tickets here.
Photos via Briarcliff Entertainment.
