SAN ANTONIO — Excitement filled the gym at Pershing Elementary as special guests showed up to give the kids their own pair of Nike shoes.
Spurs guard Derrick White and coach Greg Popovich were on hand not just to give out shoes, but encouragement to the young students.
"There’s something about new shoes that provides these kids such self esteem, to run and jump and play but they're really expensive for families to provide. when kids don't have appropriate shoes they have a hard time fitting in,” said Shoes That Fit CEO Amy Fass.
95 percent of students at Pershing are economically disadvantaged.
"To work with the Spurs and to get shoes that fit for nt just one kid but every kid is wonderful,” Principal Casey Calland said.
Non-profit Shoes That Fit worked with the Spurs to find every kid a new pair of Nikes.
"Every one of them is so excited and so it's important to open up their own box of shoes,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Teachers at the school measured every student for new shoes. The moment the shoes came was remarkable for every student and the people giving the shoes.
"All of us can remember getting our first pair of gym shoes and we thought we were the coolest beings in the world. Even at my age, I remember my first pair of Converse and I thought I could jump out of the gym,” Popovich said.
"Seeing their faces when you hand them the shoes, it's indescribable,” Derrick White said. "One kid was like, 'I want to put them on, but I don't know how to tie them,' so I got down and helped him."
Today was also a chance to meet the Spurs and hear from the team, a chance students and players won't forget.
On top of all those shoes, every student got tickets to a Spurs game.