We Spoke With the Brave Kid Who Asked Michael Jordan ‘What Are Thoooose?!?!’

https://twitter.com/BryceLyle1/status/628425011519356928

A 17-year-old high school student named Bryce Lyle took the internet by storm this morning when a video of him asking none other than Michael Jordan a popular question went viral. That question: “What are thoooose?!?!?!” We caught up with the young hooper brave enough to make MJ the latest subject of this cyber phenomenon.

SLAM: Was asking Michael Jordan “What are those?!?!” something you had planned?

Bryce Lyle: It was kind of like a spur-of-the-moment type thing. I’ve been coming [to MJ’s Flight School camp, where the stunt took place] for like three years so I knew he was going to do a Q+A, and I was just thinking of a question. I really liked his shoes—I just couldn’t really find out what it was, and I just figured, like, Well, this is something that I say with my friends, so why not just bring it out because I wanted to know what they were.

SLAM: Did you tell your buddy who filmed it what you were up to?

BL: It was toward the end and kids were asking the same questions, so I just said, Hey, just film this. I’m gonna ask him: What are those?!

SLAM: Were you surprised with MJ’s response?

BL: Yes and no, ’cause I felt like he was gonna respond somehow, but I just didn’t know how. At first he was a little bit confused and then I guess he walked over to a translator and then somebody told him it was like a Vine. He said, ‘Oh I don’t know those Vine things, but these right here, these are the XX9 Lows.’ And then everybody goes crazy again.

https://twitter.com/Addidunayer/status/628581280737820672

SLAM: Did you expect the gym to erupt the way it did?

BL: Not really, because it’s just a product of my generation and a lot these are kids in my generation, a lot of these kids see what I’m seeing—so not really.

SLAM: Did you get to talk to Mike afterwards about it?

BL: No, actually, today we had an autograph session and I walked by him and I wasn’t gonna say anything and he didn’t say anything, so I’m pretty sure he just completely forgot about it.