Hi KLEKT Fam! I am Lars, 42 years old from Koblenz, Germany. I am one of the biggest Jordan collectors from Europe and have been sharing my passion for many years on my social media accounts @bboylaspin on Instagram and Tik Tok. Through collecting and sharing I have built a lot of friendships, connections and partnerships around the world.
How did your passion for sneakers start?
My passion started in 1995 during my youth. Back in the day, Michael Jordan was the hero of my childhood. My room was full of Jordan posters, I played basketball in Jordans. I also collected Jordan trading cards and currently own around 700 cards from 1986-1998.
What was the first sneaker that caught your eye and why?
My first Jordan was a gift from my uncle, he gave me his 1993 Jordan Aqua 8 in 1995. But my true love for Jordans began with the Jordan 11 Concord after MJ introduced it at the start of the 1995-96 season. After the commercial when MJ flew over the basketball court in the Concord 11 to dunk, I bought it with the pocket money I had saved up.
How big is your sneaker collection?
After playing basketball in my youth in various Jordan silhouettes such as the Concord 11, Playoff 12 and He Got Game 13, I wore Jordans in my free time without any real interest in collecting. My passion for collecting began in 2008 and I currently own 871 pairs of Jordans from the years 2000-2023. Through my years of social media friendships and partnerships, I have been able to acquire many rare US and Asia exclusive pairs for my collection. Every day is hunting season and I try to find the all the pairs on my list. My absolute holy grail is the 2011 Jordan 5 Tokyo. It was an Asia only release officially up to size 43, but my size – 44 – is Friends and Family
Can you give us an overview over your collection?
About 2.5 years ago we moved with the desire to have a large room for my collection. This dream came true and I built shelves to have the capacity for 900 pairs. My Jordan room currently looks like a small Jordan museum, with many, many shoes, jerseys and accessories. In the middle of the room there is a Hoopaz table basketball game to live out my long-standing passion. This room serves as the perfect space for my social media content.
Do you try to wear all your pairs?
In 2013 I changed my career from a trained road builder to retail to really pursue my passion. I have been working at Snipes for over 10 years and am now the Snipes store manager in Koblenz. “Everyday another J” is my mantra. When I’m at a sneaker convention I wear special pairs. Most recently it was the 2021 Jordan 1 Chicago Trophy Room Friends and Family at Sneakerness in Rotterdam.