It’s the 23-year-old’s lucky day.

After winning an online lottery for the right to even show up at a Nike store along with around 400 others vying for limited supplies, Hu secured the right to plonk down 1,299 yuan ($186) for a pair.

He plans to quickly “flip” them for double that on a bustling resale market.

“If I wasn’t so lucky today, it’s possible I wouldn’t be able to afford the shoes on the secondary market,” Hu said.

The craze’s appeal owes to two main factors.

NBA stars like Michael Jordan have been idolised for years in China, where basketball is arguably the most followed sport, and the associated streetwear culture finds a huge and growing market.

And with Chinese authorities limiting individual stock-market price movements to contain volatility, sneakers are embraced by younger investors seeking quick profits in a commodity they can relate to.