David Gonzales is a pickup hooper who invented a product to solve his problem of sliding down the basketball floor.

A high-profile partner on the long-running ABC television program “Shark Tank” recently invested in his solution.

“Surreal is the best word for it,” Gonzales told The Denver Gazette on Wednesday night during a local watch party for the competition reality TV series.

STOMP Athletics is a Denver-based company with “traction products designed to help athletes reach their highest potential while reducing waste and costs.” It began in 2021 with a removable lace covering — called Shoe Armor — made of washable material that allows a basketball player to wipe the shoe bottoms of dust and debris, right on top of their own sneakers. The business later expanded with reusable STOMP mats on hardwood floors.

Gonzales came up with the idea for Shoe Armor in his early 20s. About a decade later, in 2018, after selling his oil and gas business, Gonzales filed his first patent. STOMP Athletics now has product sales nationwide from more than 1,500 high schools and 75 Division I colleges, plus several NBA teams — including the Nuggets.

“I’m the guy wiping his shoes. I’d lick my fingers and wipe them off. It was so gross. I could taste it,” Gonzales said. “So, I started wiping my laces instead of using my hands. Then I’m destroying my brand-new sneakers. They’re all dirty. My laces are frayed. … The engineer in me said: I’ve got to fix this problem.”

Bill Hanzlik, a Nuggets analyst for Altitude Sports, was an early investor in STOMP Athletics. The ex-NBA forward (1980-90) met Gonzales through a mutual acquaintance. Hanzlik provided industry contacts that helped grow the business from $17,000 in their first year to being on pace in 2026 to exceed $250,000 in sales.

“You hate it when you go onto a court and you’re sort of ice skating,” Hanzlik told The Denver Gazette. “It’s amazing how well it works.”

Last year, the company submitted its “Shark Tank” application to be considered for the reality TV show that gives entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their products to high-profile investors. Notable success stories include now popular brands like Bombas, Scrub Daddy and Dude Wipes.

The STOMP Athletics video pitch worked. They were selected from thousands of nationwide applicants for an episode that filmed last summer and premiered nationwide Wednesday night on ABC.

Kevin O’Leary, a 71-year-old Canadian businessman and investor, proposed a $50,000 investment in return for a 15% stake in the company: “I think it’s so niche, so vertical, so unusual, so Shark Tank-ish. … I don’t know what’s going to happen. This is a total flyer, guys.”

Gonzales and his business partner, Michael Manoogian, accepted the offer.

“We didn’t need capital. We wanted a partner that can help us scale,” Gonzales told The Denver Gazette. “The branding you get from Shark Tank really elevates people’s trust in the company. We’re fortunate they did a deal with us because it allows people to say: ‘These guys are legit.’ … My hope is that this is the catalyst that makes our company successful and viable, so that we can really scale and run the company for the long term.

“That’s my excitement.”