10 Retros We'd Like to See Jabari Parker Wear On Court

Image via Complex Original

The similarities between Grant Hill and Jabari Parker are downright eerie. Besides the obvious Duke University connection, Jabari is 6'8" player with handle and the ability to play in the perimeter and in the post. After watching Parker average 23.0 points, 8.0 boards, 2.0 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.3 steals through eight games, the his likeness to Hill is even more apparent. Hill went through a solid rotation of kicks during his career at Duke, but primarily rocked the Nike Air Max Unlimited during his final season with the Blue Devils.

Before having his life tragically cut short as a teenager, Benji Wilson was one of the top prep players in the country (if you haven't seen ESPN's 30 For 30 documentary, "Benji," you should). Like Jabari, Benji attended Simeon Career Academy on the southside of Chicago and was on the fast track to superstardom. Unfortunately, Benji was murdered and Nike donated a customized pair of Jordan Is to Simeon that featured Benji's number 25 on the back in remembrance of the hoops star, last year. During his senior season at Simeon, Jabari and his teammates rocked customized KD Vs to honor Wilson and we'd love to see him take it a step further by wearing the Air Jordan Is that now sit in the Simeon hallways.

As high school teammate of Benji Wilson at Simeon, Anderson wore the number 25 throughout his high school career to honor his slain friend and the act became tradition at Simeon and Chicago as guys like Anderson, Derrick Rose, and Juwan Howard all wore the number to honor Wilson. Anderson kept his friend's legacy alive in college and in the NBA as he continued to wear the number 25. Anderson was no slouch himself. The shooting guard scored over 11,500 points during his 13 year NBA career. Anderson rocked the Jordan Xs during his playing days with the number 25 embroidered on the side. Wouldn't it would be a nice head nod to Nick, Benji, and even Michael Jordan if Jabari donned customized Xs while playing at Duke?

Before Jabari Parker and Derrick Rose made waves on the Chicago hoops scene, there was Kevin Garnett. KG was an absolute beast during his career at Farragut Academy where he averaged an insane stat line of 25.2 points, 17.9 points, 6.5 blocks while leading Farragut to a 28-2 record and City Championship during his senior year. Formerly known as 'Da Kid', KG famously skipped college and went straight to the '95 NBA Draft where he was selected fifth by the Minnesota Timberwolves. No need to wax poetically here about Garnett's career, as he's a surefire Hall of Famer, but KG's sneaker history didn't go as smoothly as his game on the court. After striking out with his first signature shoe and having his second scrapped by Nike, KG and Nike struck gold with the KGIII. The colorways go perfectly with Duke's jersey scheme and we'd like to see a return of the sneaker not only on Jabari's feet, but around the country as this has become a forgotten gem.

Trajan Langdon is one of the greatest sharpshooter's in Duke's rich history. Before J.J. Redick stepped foot on campus, Langdon held the school record for most career 3-pointers made. The "Alaskan Assassin" was usually reserved, but during a 1998 matchup against Baron Davis and the UCLA Bruins, Langdon infamously told the brash Davis to "Shut your mouth and play." Langdon backed up his words with his play tied his career-high with 34 points as the Blue Devils destroyed its opponent 120-84. Will we catch Jabari trash talking the Bruins tonight at the Garden? Unlikely. The talented freshman is more adept at letting his game do the talking. Regardless, we'd still love to see him serve the Bruins 20 and 10 while rockin' the Max Zoom.

Parker smashed former Kansas State power forward Michael Beasley's record of consecutive 20-point games by a freshman. Super Cool Beas' pro career hasn't panned out the way most had expected, but his kick game has always been serious. The Air Jordan Aqua VIIIs, which were released during his Beasley's lone year in school, are always a good go-to whether you wear them on the street or on the hardwood. Despite choosing Duke for his college destination, Jabari, a Chi-Town native, surely idolized Michael Jordan as a child. Wearing Jordans as a Dukie is a big time no-no, but seeing Parker strut out on the court in some Aquas would be dope. Not only does the colorway match Duke's unis nicely but it would be a fitting tribute to a childhood hero and an ingenious recognition of the style conscious freshman that came before him.

Christian Laettner ensured that he will be shown on every March Madness highlight tape from '92 to infinity thanks to his incredible last second shot that downed the Kentucky Wildcats in the Elite Eight. Once March comes around, Jabari Parker is sure to create some historics of his own. Fans are already hoping for a Duke-Kentucky matchup at some point this season and it would be amazing to watch Parker play Kentucky's own crew of incredible freshmen while rocking the shoes made famous by Laettner.

With a quiet demeanor and a game that favored nifty footwork and baby hook shots over posterizing dunks, Elton Brand was a master of efficiency in the post. Much like his play, Brand's choice of footwear favored substance over style, as he rocked the Nike Air Brake-U-Down Uptempo in college. While the sneaker never made waves amongst sneakerheads, the kicks were a popular team edition in the college ranks. Wouldn't be cool to see Jabari and the rest of the current Duke squad bring to subtly honor the '99 team that also featured future NBA players Shane Battier, Corey Maggette, and William Avery?

Just like Paul Pierce, Parker has a polished repertoire of moves that includes a lethal one-dribble and pull-up mid-range jumper that Pierce has made a living off of. The Cali native also kept his kick game proper on the court wearing the Air Penny IIs at Kansas in '96. With a clean blue and white colorway, the sneakers would go perfectly with Duke's uniform scheme.