Sandy Bodecker’s Legacy Continues With The Nike SB eBay Dunk Charity Auction

Alexander “Sandy” Bodecker: His name might not be the most known, but his work has changed lives, helped create industries, and demonstrated that good people will always be remembered.
 
The former footwear tester and VP of Special Projects at Nike passed away in October 2018 at the age of 66, but his work for Nike SB continues to transcend cities, creed, gender, socioeconomic status, and a multitude of other markers. The Swoosh has commemorated the late industry veteran over the last four years, but the latest way is arguably the most special.
 
To celebrate the Nike SB Dunk Low’s 20th anniversary, the North American sportswear behemoth tapped eBay to release their mythical collaboration from 2003. A modified version of the eBay Dunk launches at skate shops and Nike SNKRS on December 15th and 17th, respectively, but Nike and the trusted marketplace have prepped a special charity auction to support the Bodecker Foundation. The auction is live via eBay.com/sbdunk.
 
Before diving into the auction’s details, it’s important to recount Nike SB and the sneaker’s story.

Nike’s earliest attempt to enter the skateboarding space occurred in the 1990s. Riders like Brandon Cole “Bam” Margera were tasked with obtaining performance and cultural credibility for the Choad, Snak, and Schimp, but the Swoosh’s efforts were met with little commercial success. Bodecker–who joined Nike in 1982–recognized the skate community’s existing interest in the Air Jordan 1 and Nike Blazer, which ultimately led to the development of the SB Dunk, a modified version of a basketball sneaker from 1985.
 
Under Bodecker’s guidance, Nike SB launched in 2002. A grass-roots-oriented approach helped win over diehard skaters initially skeptical of a corporation such as Nike entering the world of skateboarding. A strategic and fun attitude towards collaborations unified seemingly-disparate worlds, pushed the boundaries, and helped create modern-day sneaker collecting.
 
Sandy Bodecker put the “SB” in Nike SB.

It’s difficult to imagine some of the most celebrated collaborations in sneaker history without Bodecker. Back in August 2003, Nike SB developed a one-of-one edition of the Dunk to be auctioned off on eBay. The charity event raised $30,000 for the Tim Brauch Foundation and initiatives to benefit skate parks in the Portland, Oregon area. A six-figure sum for a pair of sneakers might be commonplace today, but it wasn’t 19 years ago. The auction winner was awarded the lone eBay Dunk pair in their size, but was maintained a mystery until today: Sandy Bodecker was the highest bidder.
 
As the sole owner of the original Charity Dunk, Bodecker made sneaker history in more ways than one. Despite the pair’s high price tag, what was impressive in its own right was the unexpected nature of the collaboration.
 
“[T]he original Charity Dunk decades ago sent shockwaves through both the sneakerhead and skating communities and truly became a thing of legend,” shared Garry Thaniel, eBay’s General Manager of Sneakers ahead of the auction’s launch. “It paired a skating shoe that was meant to be thrashed with the iconic colorway and style of eBay in a mashup that hadn’t been seen before.”
 
Bodecker ended up sawing a sample of the original Charity Dunk into four pieces, having made the collaboration that much rarer in the process. Nike SB’s first retail release of the eBay Dunk playfully nods to the destroyed pair by leaving see-through panels throughout the upper. Images of Bodecker was printed onto each shoe’s sock-liners as a touching tribute to the godfather of SB.

Nike and the Bodecker Foundation’s latest auction on eBay offers not one but 10 collectors’ edition tribute pairs to Sandy’s original prize, along with the new eBay Dunk. Each capsule–which features a commemorative saw and card numbered out of 10–is packaged in a first-of-its-kind skateable shoe box (yes, you read that right). All proceeds from the event will support the Bodecker Foundation, an organization “[e]mpowering creative youth to imagine and achieve their artistic, educational, and professional dreams,” as stated on its website.
 
In addition to the auction, eBay and company have set up the Skate ‘Em Out store at Bodecker’s home in Portland. Rooted in the late Nike veteran’s mission of giving back, the community will have the chance to purchase one of 14 popular styles of Nike SB Dunks from over the past two decades for the silhouette’s original price of $65. The catch?: Customers (over 18 or else with a parent/guardian) have to skate in their new sneakers to get the deal. The store–which is located at 2360 NW Quimby Street in Portland–will be open on December 9th and 10th from 11 a.m. PST to 6 p.m. PST.

Pairs include:
• Nike SB Dunk High “Strawberry”
• Grateful Dead x Nike SB Dunk Low “Yellow Bear”
• Nike SB Dunk Low “Cinco de Mayo”
• Why So Sad? x Nike SB Dunk Low
 
(All the shoes are readily available on eBay.)

The Nike x eBay charity auction in support of the Bodecker Foundation is open until Wednesday, December 14th.