How an Adelaide dad’s love for basketball led to sneaker collection worth $50k

Bobby Truong’s love for sneakers is so great he once owned nearly 400 pairs – and these days, he can use them to fund his kids’ education.

Father and basketball lover Bobby Truong has so many sneakers he can fund his kids’ education.

The 41-year-old sneakerhead from Nailsworth is one of many people who love collecting the shoes, amassing about 250 over the past 20 years – worth an eye-watering resale value of more than $50,000.

But that’s nothing to what he’s had in the past, with his collection at nearly 400 pairs at one point.

“I love the feeling of a new pair of sneakers when you first put them on, the freshness of each pair and the smell,” he said.

“I had probably close to 400 pairs at the peak and the amount of slowly dwindled down a little bit.

“When I was younger I couldn’t afford it but obviously now or past 15 years with an income and being able to afford and buy shoes when you please is a bit different and that's why the collection has ramped up.”

Many young people invest and sell collectable sneakers on social media groups such as Salty Kicks or on websites such as eBay or StockX.

Bobby Truong with some of his favourite sneakers, and his collection, which is worth about $50,000. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

According to eBay data, the most expensive sneaker sold last year was the Nike SB What The Dunk Supreme which sold for more than $16,000 in the state.

The top sneaker searches on eBay for South Australians was the Jordan, Jordan 1 and Nike.

“The resale market is huge, and is still growing exponentially – there are definitely ways to make money. Young kids have become resellers and are making a dime out of it, they’ve changed the sneaker culture,” Mr Truong said.

“I’ve sold many hype sneakers to fund my kids’ education, and to buy things for the house.

“My priorities have changed over the years, but now I use the money on my kids mostly. I still keep my favourite pairs though.”

The father-of-three said a standout sneaker in his collection was the Air Jordan 3, which has a value of about $700.

“The black cement have always been a favourite of mine because they are nice casual wearing and low top,” he said.

“I’ve got a few pairs of them from older releases back the late 2000s and then they made them retro them back in 2018. The Air Jordan 3 is my favourite silhouette.”

While Mr Truong is an avid collector of sneakers, he makes sure he wears all of them and displays them on his sneaker wall.

“Since I’ve been working from home the past couple of years, I set up my office in my sneaker room so I can work around my sneakers,” he said.

“I actually wear my shoes but if you have a resellers mindset it’s different because you don’t wear them if you want to sell them. But I take care of my shoes.”