The Best Sneakers From the 2018–19 NBA Season

Worn by: Montrezl Harrell

How anyone can play a 2019 NBA game in Air Jordan 1s is a feat unto itself, but it happened at least twice this NBA season. Montrezl Harrell broke out the Nigel Sylvester’s first Air Jordan collab earlier this year, showing the Jordan 1s crossover between from the court to the streets and back. —Gerald Flores

Worn by: DeMarcus Cousins

One of the biggest stories in sneakers this year was Puma's return to performance basketball. One of its most memorable moments on court was DeMarcus Cousins debuting the "Reform" Clyde Court in support of the Reform Alliance, an initiative aiming to improve the American criminal justice system. With Puma Basketball's creative consultant Jay-Z and brand partner Meek Mill leading the movement, promoting it with a Puma sneaker just seemed like a no-brainer. —Michael DeStefano

Worn by: Montrezl Harrell

Players wearing retro sneakers in the NBA is nothing new, but now more and more guys are just playing in new pairs of old shoes. Sounds like a risky proposition on many levels. Montrezl Harrell wore a pair of 7-year-old Nike KD 4s from the 2012 All-Star Game this year. Luckily they didn’t fall apart.  —Matt Welty

Worn by: Paul George

Although Paul George’s “Playstation” theme may have cooled off a bit since it graced the PG 2, the PG 2.5 variation was a worthy follow-up—and a lot easier to cop, too. The gaming-themed PG 2.5 dropped in three different colorways, but it was this royal blue makeup that stole the show with a glowing shade reminiscent of Playstation’s signature color and branded details throughout. —Riley Jones

Worn by: Kawhi Leonard

R.I.P. to Nipsey Hussle. The world was affected by his untimely passing and murder, and the people he impacted have paid their respects. Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard, who recently signed to New Balance, used the opportunity to take the N on his shoes to write out “Nip.” Well played.  —Matt Welty

Worn by: LeBron James

Although it may not have hit quite like the O.G. (but when does anything?), the “Watch the Throne” version of the LeBron 16 was one of the strongest takes on Nike’s ongoing #lebronwatch series. Nike went all out in its efforts to replicate the look and feel of the original, going as far as to reproduce a similar golden lace jewel, and LeBron laced them up on one of the biggest stages of the season, the All-Star Game. —Riley Jones

Worn by: Kyle Kuzma

Back in 2010, Nike Basketball releases were as hyped-up as Off-White x Nike collabs, believe it or not, and one of the most coveted was the vibrant "Grinch" Kobe 6. Seen with much less consistency today, it was great to see Kyle Kuzma flex his GOAT partnership to pull out this gem from a much simpler time in sneakers. —Michael DeStefano

Worn by: Kevin Durant

Seattle hasn’t had an NBA team since 2008, when the Sonics and rising star Kevin Durant left town for Oklahoma City. Durant’s since left Middle America for the Bay Area, but his latest signature sneaker tipped the cap, or rather its colorway, to green and yellow of yesteryear. Cool concept, but it’s pouring more acid rain their wounds. —Matt Welty

Worn by: Vince Carter

At 42 years old, Vince Carter still has hops like he’s 23. It was only right for him to go back to the sneaker he made famous in 2000 with a “dunk heard around the world” for the entire season.  —Gerald Flores

Worn by: Russell Westbrook

One of the coolest stories for Black History Month was when Jordan Brand didn’t explicitly tell itself. The Super Soaker was invented by a black man, Lonnie Johnson, and to commemorate that Russell Westbrook had a Super Soaker PE of his signature shoe that he carried through the tunnel in similar packaging. You learn something new everyday. —Matt Welty

Worn by: LeBron James

The Michael versus LeBron "GOAT" debate will probably never end, but James gave his supporters some ammo when he passed Jordan on the all-time scoring list this past March. He did it in a special LeBron 16 PE inspired by the Air Jordan III no less, complete with a Dunkman on the tongue and elephant print-esque panels covered in graffiti. Nike was calculated with this one.  —Michael DeStefano

Worn by: Kyrie Irving

To introduce Kyrie Irving’s newest signature model, Nike linked up with a rather unexpected collaborator in Taco (of Odd Future fame), who covered the shrouded sneaker in a wild pattern reminiscent of Realtree camouflage. A giant, 3M Swoosh helped set the colorway apart from general releases and allowed it to stand out even more on the hardwood.  —Riley Jones

Worn by: P.J. Tucker

Solefly’s Miami Hurricanes-inspired collaboration created for Art Basel was one of the best Air Jordan 1s of 2018, and they were also one of the hardest to get. But that didn’t stop P.J. Tucker from wearing them—a full week before their official release date, no less. —Riley Jones

Worn by: LeBron James

Being the top guy over at Nike Basketball guarantees LeBron James will always be lacing up some crazy PEs of his latest signature model on the court each game, but sometimes he likes to dip into the archive. Pulling out the "More Than a Game" LeBron 7, inspired by the documentary of the same name highlighting his high school years, was the perfect choice for James' homecoming to Cleveland. —Michael DeStefano

Worn by: P.J. Tucker

P.J. Tucker has a pre-game ritual: Go to Flight Club, buy the most expensive sneakers, and wear them on court. I made that up, but it’s partly true. He did such with the South Beach, aka the Pre-Heat, LeBron 8s this season. This was one of the most hyped sneakers up to the point when it released in 2010. The same rings true to this day. —Matt Welty

Worn by: Kyrie Irving

Of all the “sneaker holidays” on the NBA calendar, the Christmas Day game is always a day when players really want to show out. Kyrie Irving did just that with Concepts’ “Ikhet” take on his signature sneaker. There was also a family and friends version of this sneaker that Irving rocked during the season. —Gerald Flores

Worn by: P.J. Tucker

Travis Scott’s Air Jordan IVs were one of the best sneakers of 2018, but the still-unreleased purple version is an even bigger on-court flex—for those who can actually get their hands on them. Of course, P.J. Tucker was that guy, breaking them out in an early season match-up against the Thunder. —Riley Jones

Worn by: P.J. Tucker

Designer collabs are commonplace today, but it is not everyday that Nike gives someone the chance to create their own original silhouette. Fear of God's Jerry Lorenzo was given the distinct honor. Of course, the NBA's undisputed sneaker king, P.J. Tucker, was the first player who got to lace up the Nike Air Fear of God 1 on the court this season in a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. —Michael DeStefano

Worn by: Jayson Tatum

In terms of on-court debuts, it was hard to top the Adapt BB this season. It marked Nike’s first-ever use of auto-lacing technology in a basketball sneaker and came at nearly half the price of its predecessor, the HyperAdapt 1.0. For the Adapt BB’s first in-game appearance, Nike tapped Boston’s Jayson Tatum to debut the futuristic footwear against the Raptors. —Riley Jones

Worn by: P.J. Tucker

He’s the undisputed sneaker king of the NBA. One of the crowning moments P.J. Tucker’s NBA season of not repeating the same sneaker twice was this very rare animal-inspired LeBron II P.E. that even had LeBron James wondering how Tucker got a pair. —Gerald Flores