Image via Getty/Bill Baptist
P.J. Tucker is the sneaker king of the NBA—there is essentially no denying that. From friends and family versions of elusive collaborations, to Jordan Brand PEs that even catch Michael Jordan’s attention, the Rockets wing’s footwear is a story worth following on a nightly basis.
While Tucker feels that crowning an official sneaker king of the Association is far from necessary, he does put more than just a little bit of effort into choosing each night’s shoe.
“I pack my shoe bag filled with 16-18 pairs of shoes,” Tucker said. “And when I find out what color we’re wearing, I kind of just roll out from there. I always try to pull out something cool or city-related.”
With a top-tier Jordan Brand signature athlete like Chris Paul as his teammate, it can be tough for Tucker to “turn heads” in the locker room, but dedication, the occasional finesse, and countless connections, Tucker manages to make a statement.
“I am the finesse king, especially when it comes to shoes,” Tucker said in reference to an upcoming Foot Locker commercial he stars in. As far as catching the eye of his teammates, being early with highly-anticipated collabs gets the job done. “When I pulled [the “Orange Pulse” Nike Air Fear Of God 1s] out, my teammates went crazy.”
With the chaos that is the NBA off-season officially underway, Tucker gave us his picks for the best sneakers he wore throughout the 2018-19 season.
Nike LeBron VI 'Stewie Griffin'
Amongst the game’s elites and to diehard NBA fans, P.J. Tucker is known for his tireless motor, defensive prowess, and ability to get open in the corner and knock down clutch threes. To sneakerheads, number 17 is best known for his crazy on-court footwear. With the exception of the “Beast” LeBron IIs that he donned against the King in L.A., the Nike LeBron VI “Stewie Griffins” that he laced up on Christmas Day against the Thunder just might be the wildest sneaker he’s ever worn on court. So rare, these PEs cannot even be found on popular sneaker resale platforms the likes of Flight Club, StockX, and Stadium Goods.
Nike Hyperdunk X Low
On December 5th, 2018 PJ Tucker took to Instagram to reveal his very first PE from the Swoosh: a Nike Hyperdunk X Low, adorned with his own “PJ 17” logo. While Tucker laced this PE up on numerous occasions in a bevy of different colorways, he debuted them on December 6th against the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Smart Home Arena. While the Hyperdunk X Low might not be the most hyped silhouette, it was a special moment for the veteran to see his initials on a Nike-made product for the first time.
Nike LeBron III 'Glow in the Dark'
This season, the LeBron III had a bit of a moment thanks to both its return in retro form as well as the presence of some of its most heralded colorways on the feet of the league’s most prolific sneakerhead. In a January 19th overtime victory against the LeBron-less Lakers at home, Tucker took the court in the aforementioned sneaker’s elusive “Glow In The Dark” colorway, which was also transformed into one of this year’s LeBronWatch releases. The sneaker was first seen on the King himself’s feet in 2014.
Nike Air Fear of God I
Jerry Lorenzo’s Nike Air Fear Of God I is one of the most noteworthy Swoosh collabs in recent memory. First and foremost, its heralded designer entered rarified collaborative air by creating his very own silhouette as opposed to just a new colorway. Tucker was all over the rollout of the FOG I. In the early stages of the NBA season, he actually debuted the black colorway of the sneaker on-court against the Brooklyn Nets on November 2nd, proving that the hoops-inspired design was indeed a formidable piece of basketball footwear. Beyond that, Tucker was on team early when it came to the head-turning and summer-ready “Orange Pulse” colorway as well as the “Light Bone” version.
Image via Getty/Andrew D. Bernstein
Trophy Room x Air Jordan V 'Friends and Family'
As previously mentioned, one of the things that makes Tucker the NBA’s sneaker king is his connections and the ability to obtain friends-and-family versions of coveted collabs. That plug, if you will, came into play during Game 1 of the second round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Golden State Warriors with the red suede-clad Trophy Room x Air Jordan V F&F version. While the public got the chance to clamor over the more available (yet still elusive) “Ice Blue” variety, Tucker came ready to ball on April 28th with the Nike Air-equipped flex.
Undefeated x Nike Kobe IV
Los Angeles-based retailer Undefeated has put in work when it comes to Kobe Bryant’s signature sneaker line over the past two years, including a bounty of camo-ridden versions of the Kobe I as well as a souped up take on the Kobe IV this calendar year. Of course, Tucker has taken it upon himself to don both re-made silhouettes in-game. Twice against the then-reigning champion Warriors, number 17 opted to lace up Devin Booker’s red and patent leather PE version of UNDFTD’s Kobe IV during Game 4 as well as Game 6.
Aleali May x Air Jordan X
During one of the last games of the regular season, Tucker turned to frequent Jumpman collaborator Aleali May and threw on her wildly-colored Air Jordan Xs. Inspired by Maya Moore’s favorite uniforms that she has worn throughout her illustrious career, the blue and orange nubuck panelling of the sneaker went well with the uniforms of the New York Knicks he was playing against.
