Manhattan who wears tortoiseshell glasses and Vans sneakers
During the 1995-96 season, Mr. Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for
however the national anthem, which Mr. Haavisto called “a bold, fascinating statement for somebody whose job was to play basketball.”
Mr. Haavisto, a 22-year-old aspiring filmmaker in Manhattan who wears tortoiseshell glasses and Vans sneakers, is among an unexpected breed of memorabilia collectors: 20-somethings with limited finances and unlimited nostalgia for the N.B.A. players — often obscure — of their childhoods.
Walk Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on a sunny Sunday, and you’ll
however spy any number of young men in vintage N.B.A. jerseys. It’s a safe bet none are headed to the basketball court.
