As a child, Stephen Songco's world revolved around sports. 'I was a competitive swimmer until my first year in college, and I liked to play basketball with my friends,' he says. 'I wanted to be a scientist as a kid, and that was why my first choice when I applied for college was chemical engineering. But my childhood idols were Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. There was something about their game that stood out from the others, and in my mind, wearing their shoes made you feel like you could do the moves they did on the court.'