Signature Athletes Wearing Other Signature Athlete's Sneakers

Image via Complex Original

Nike Air Flight One — Michael Jordan 

The Air Flight One isn't a bad shoe by any means, it actually is underrated in terms of style, performance, and comfort—which may be why Mike took a break from the XIs to rock them for a home game during the Bulls '95 playoff series against the Magic. A nod to his respect for Penny? A dig at a young rival? Maybe. Either way it was odd seeing MJ rock anything other than a pair of Jordans on the court. If Tinker gave up on the Jordan line like he was advised to do, we might have seen Mike rocking Penny's for a minute longer. 

adidas Crazy 8 — Derrick Rose 

We know every basketball player dreams of having their own shoe but Rose revitalizing Kobe's line actually made a little sense. The Crazy 8 and other Feet You Wear enabled basketball shoes are still some of the most comfortable kicks to come out of The Three Stripes brand's camp. Plus, this Bulls colorway of the "KB8" looked mean with the Bulls white, red, and black uniforms. 

Air Jordan IX — Penny Hardaway 

We know Penny had one of the greatest signature lines on his own but with Michael in Birmingham shagging fly balls and Nike losing its greatest athlete, it would have only made sense to have one of the heir apparents keep Jordan Brand flourishing. The Penny IX PE bascially came to life this past year (although slightly different, and without the "1" on the heel) and had plenty of sneaker fans hype to grab a pair of one of the least-favorite Jordan models. 

Reebok Question — John Wall 

It was pretty crazy and abrupt news when Reebok shut down its new basketball line and gave its biggest star to adidas. We know they are owned by the same company and adidas could cook up new shoes for him, but seeing John Wall in an army of old Iverson shoes and organically keeping Reebok's best retro series alive could have made a lot of sense. 

Air Jordan XI — Deion Sanders 

No half-steppin', only high-steppin', six into the end zone off a crazy INT or kick return—no one did it quite as flashy as Prime Time. Take the influence he had on football and then throw in the fact that dude was stealing home and hitting home runs the other 165 hours a week, Sanders was the epitome of hard work and everything Jordan Brand stood for. His Jordan XI cleats might be the best non-basketball Jordan shoe of all time and that was on top of his own signature series—imagine the greatness JB would have made if its entire focus was on him. 

Air Jordans — Carmelo Anthony 

The former number-three draft pick just put in his 10th year in the league, and only LeBron has more signature kicks. From high school at national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, cutting down the nets at Syracuse, and now in the league with his own signature line through Jordan Brand, Melo has repped hard in some dope kicks and was rewarded by Jordan Brand with his own player editions before they set him up with the Melo series—and maybe it should have stayed that way. 

Air Jordan XI — Kevin Garnett 

The Chicago native entered the league straight from high school before it was a trend and had a lot of hype to live up to. The forward/center also had an affinity for the Jordan XI and after he proved himself on the court it only made sense to get him his own shoe, but reppin' Jordan fresh from Farragut might have been a good look. 

Nike LeBrons — Derrick Rose 

You might think we are trolling, but it actually makes a lot of sense. In high school, Rose favored LeBron's kicks over Js on the court and just like Mike started up Jordan Brand it might have been cool to see LeBron grabbing up elite talent to put on his roster. 

Air Jordans — Kobe Bryant 

It was cool to see young Kob' do his thing and help adidas evolve into a competitive brand, but when all the Jordan comparisons hit, it was insane to see him throwing down crazy dunks and hitting fadeaways in some player-edition IIIs. During Kobe's brief stint as a sneaker free agent, Jordan Brand laced him with player exclusives of the Jordan greats and executed the Lakers purple and gold perfectly on each kick. Too bad they didn't just keep going.

Air Jordans — LeBron James 

We aren't sure why the throwback jerseys were such a big deal back in Akron when LeBron was clearly receiving shipments of personalized kicks on a daily basis. During his senior year he took flight in some sick player edition Jordan XVIIIs and won the state title in IXs. When he hit the NBA his media day was mostly spent in some exclusive "Blackout" Jordan IXs made to cater to a king. We know LeBron never would have been down and he would have taken that deal with Reebok, but how dope would it have been to see him carry on MJ's sneaker legacy, too? 

Air Jordan XI — Allen Iverson 

It was only appropriate that the most electrifying scorer in college hoops rocked the same kicks as the greatest to ever do it. Iverson sported the Jordan XIs on a regular basis during his sophomore campaign, which led to him being the number-one pick in the ’96 NBA Draft. Somehow he made the XI just about as iconic as Jordan too, it would have been so crazy to see what Nike and Iverson could have done for 10-plus seasons. 

Converse Pro Leather — Michael Jordan 

It seems so foreign but if you know your Jordan history it could have happened. The Dr. J and Jordan comparisons were inevitable but the whole sneaker world would be completely different today if Mike ended up signing with Converse or adidas instead of The Swoosh. 

Reebok Question — Kobe Bryant

Air Jordans weren't the only dalliance Kobe Bryant had during his sneaker free agent season of 2003. He also wore the signature kicks of '96 Draftmate Allen Iverson, including the Question and the Answer IV. Just goes to show that just because a guy is signed to one brand it doesn't mean he isn't aware of what the other brands are doing.

Reebok Question — LeBron James 

Like Mike, LeBron was almost ready to pen his name to another brand before Nike came in and made him an offer he couldn't refuse. The bidding war was insane for a kid who had yet to play a pro game and even though he rocked a lot more adidas and Nike in high school, young 'Bron did hoop in the Reebok Question and would have been a no-brainer to keep the brand alive.