Hommy Diaz received a night of VIP treatment all because of shoes.
- Sneaker designer honored by the Clippers at Dominican Heritage Night
- Design that won him the recognition honored "dreamers"
- Clips rookie Angel Delgado one of just 11 Dominican players in NBA history
He is a shoe designer who was recently honored by the Dominican American National Foundation at a Los Angeles Clippers game. DANF put together the first Dominican Heritage Night at the Staples Center.
The sneaker design that won Diaz the recognition was one honoring DACA members, also know as "dreamers," who don’t have citizenship.
“They’re basically people who came here, brought here as children. They had no choice so they deserve the benefit of the doubt. They deserve respect and they deserve a chance,” Diaz said.
On this night, he proudly basked in the glow of Dominican pride and celebration of the culture, while getting an up close and personal view of NBA stars.
“It meant the world to me. I’ve never been on an NBA court before, so that alone was amazing, so to be actually called out and recognized, it’s a dream come true," said the shoe designer.
The heritage night was a big deal for DANF, whose goal is to recognize the accomplishments of Dominican Americans in Los Angeles and across the nation.
There have only been 11 Dominican players in the history of the NBA. Rookie, Angel Delgado, who just signed to the Clippers, is one of them.
Although he didn’t play in this particular game, he knows what being in the NBA means to his community.
“We gotta show these kids that they can make it like I did. I came from DR. I was born out there. I came at like 15 years old. So, I gotta show kids they really can be here and make the team,” Delgado said.
Meanwhile, as the Clippers cruised past the Suns, Diaz basked in the glow of celebration of his work, brotherhood through heritage and the pride he holds in being Dominican.