Meet the lifelong Memphis Grizzlies fan bringing his streetwear collection to FedExForum
There’s a photo Miles Thomas keeps on his phone. A reminder to never forget the child who inspired him to dream.
It’s a picture of Thomas at 4 years old smiling with his father, Joel, at a Memphis Grizzlies playoff game in 2005. For years when Miles Thomas pitched streetwear designs to the team, he used that photo to stay encouraged even when pitches went unheard.
“He would think this is so cool right now that I’m doing this,” Thomas said.
On Saturday, Thomas, who also goes by hippy, will feature his “Sec. 118” streetwear collection at FedExForum when the Grizzlies host the Denver Nuggets. It’s one of three collaborations the Grizzlies have done this month to spotlight local artists and designers as part of their 191 Collabs pilot program.
The collections will be featured exclusively in a pop-up shop in the Grand Lobby.
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For Thomas, 22, it’s a dream come true as a lifelong Grizzlies fan. His father Joel got season tickets after the team moved from Vancouver ahead of the 2001-02 season. Some of Thomas’ earliest sports memories were watching Grizzlies games in Section 118, the inspiration for his collection’s name.
“Back then I thought was going to hoop ’cause I was playing basketball,” Thomas said. “I could tell you the exact stats. I was a walking encyclopedia with points per game and all that.”
