The mega-mansion for a diehard basketball fan
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - It started out as just a move to accommodate Brett Hardt’s wife and their growing family.
“I said, ok, we’re going to have our second kid, let’s just build our dream house,” homeowner Brett Hardt says.
And boy, did they!
Building a dream from the ground up.
Yetta: “I hear you built one thing before you even started the house?”
Brett: “I did.”
Yetta: “What was that?”
Brett: “The gym”
Yetta: “Why was that first?”
Brett: “I sponsor a youth basketball team. I had this really good basketball team. If you are involved in basketball in the valley, it’s impossible to get gym time. I’m like, ok, I’ll build my own gym.”
Brett: “So, when started designing the house, I was like, we are going to build the gym first and build the house around it.”
The basketball court is just 14-feet shy of a full-size NBA court. It was a deliberate decision on Brett’s part; it’s easier to play pick-up on a slightly shorter court. The court is also not just for young players anymore. Some big ballers shoot hoops here, too, big names!
Yetta: “So the heart of this house is basketball?
Brett: “Yes.”
Clearly, Brett is a diehard basketball fan, a diehard fan of the Chicago Bulls.
Yetta: “You came here from Chicago.”
Brett: “Yep.”
Yetta: “Does that mean you’re not really a Suns fan? What’s up with that?”
Brett: “So I had season tickets for Michael Jordan’s whole career. From the time he was a rookie all the way through his whole career.”
Brett: “But when I moved here, I met Thom Brennaman, announcer for the Diamondbacks, he’s like, ‘if you have a kid and he’s born in Arizona, you can’t be a Chicago fan. So I took that to heart.”
He’s a Suns season ticket holder now and says he’s also a diehard Suns fan. But his love for the Suns may never compare to the Bulls, specifically legendary player number 23 and his famous sneaker.
Brett built what he calls ‘The Jordan Room’’ in his house.
Yetta: “How many shoes are in here Brett?!
Brett: “There’s a little over 300 pairs, full capacity would be 330.”
Brett: “We wanted to come up with the ultimate display of Jordan’s.
He’s worn every pair, and he wouldn’t be a true Jordan’s collector, and not know the names of each shoe. For the ‘Sneakerheads,’ wondering where he gets all the rest of these kicks?
Brett: “Stock X, that’s the usual go-to. Suzie, my wife, will get on the auctions every Saturday, sometimes, we get lucky and get to buy them at retail. We go to shows anywhere we can find them.”
Yetta: “How much have you paid for a single pair? The most obnoxious amount?
Brett: “$5,000″
Yetta: “Which one is that? The Jordan Doernbechecker 5s.”
Brett’s Jordan Room has its own Instagram page, and a lot of people have heard about it.
Yetta: “Some pretty big names have come through here?
Brett: “Yea.”
Yetta: “Who’s come through here to see your shoes?
Brett: “Chris Paul.”
Brett: “Damian Lilliard has been through. Mikael Bridges has been here. Kobe was here but wouldn’t come here [to the Jordan Room].”
Kobe Bryant, his Lady Mambas Team, and his daughter Giana visited Brett’s basketball court in late 2019, just months before their tragic death.
Brett: “I get a call from Kobe’s representative saying Gianna is playing in a tournament in Mesa. Can his team come over and train? I’m like, of course. It was amazing! I mean watching him run a practice and how he commanded the practice and the girls respected him. We get to the end, and his daughter says, ‘Mr. Brett, can we go see the Jordan room? I said, of course.”
Brett: “Kobe [says] Oh, we got to leave.”
Yetta: “So, was it a scheduling problem?
Brett: “No, no, that’s what I thought! I said, ‘Kobe, it’s right upstairs, he looks at his watch and goes no, we got to leave. So I walked him out through the back entrance, and it hits me! Kobe doesn’t want to have his girls come and see the Jordan room!”
Yetta: “Really?”
Brett: “Well, he’s Kobe!”
Yetta: Really? Is that why?”
Brett: “That’s the only explanation I could think of.”
Kobe didn’t visit the Jordan Room, but it would be a moment Brett will never forget, and there are future moments Brett is now hoping for.
Yetta: “Who do you want from the Suns to get up here?
Brett: “I’d love for Booker to come here.” He would be number one. I’m a huge Deondre Ayton fan.”
Yetta: “Your number one guy you’re hoping to come?”
Brett: “Oh, it’s Michael Jordan.”
Yetta: “He’s aware of it but hasn’t step foot in here yet?
Brett: “Yea.”
Yetta: “It’s going to happen, and I’m gonna come back and do a follow-up or maybe come here while he’s here.
Brett: “You’ll get the exclusive!”
Brett created “Attitude is Free’’ brand from a phrase that just hit him. He wants to motivate people to remember to keep a good attitude, no matter what, on their road to success.
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