Every sneakerhead had to start somewhere—even those who went on to get paid to endorse sneakers while playing the game they love. And we all, NBA players included, have a story about that sneaker that first caught our attention. We spoke to stars around the league to find out which sneakers motivated their love. Some are the sneakers they’re still wearing today, while others have gone in vastly different directions. Read on to find out which shoes first inspired the players below in their own words.
Every sneakerhead had to start somewhere—even those who went on to get paid to endorse sneakers while playing the game they love. And we all, NBA players included, have a story about that sneaker that first caught our attention. We spoke to stars around the league to find out which sneakers motivated their love. Some are the sneakers they’re still wearing today, while others have gone in vastly different directions. Read on to find out which shoes first inspired the players below in their own words.
Jimmy Butler - Chicago Bulls
"When I was little my favorite player was Tracy McGrady. Yeah, I liked Michael Jordan, but growing up in the Houston area, T-Mac was all anybody ever talked about. So, his sneakers were everything to me. But now that I’m with the best brand, I don’t wear his sneakers no more. [laughs] I only wear Jordans."
C.J. Miles - Indiana Pacers
"The Scottie Pippen’s with the 'AIR' on the side, the Air More Uptempos. That was the first one where I was like, 'Yo, this is the coolest shoe.' I remember drooling over that shoe. [laughs] I mean, there were Jordans at the time, but that shoe—I had the black ones with silver lettering that was reflective. I was a Bulls fan, obviously, but that was the first time when I really kind of looked at a shoe like—I probably didn’t say 'sexy' at that age, but they were sexy. [laughs] I had ‘em, I played in ‘em, and wore ‘em. Having them in my hand, that was the first shoe I really spazzed over the details of. Me and my wife have been getting them since they’ve been coming back out. She loves the white with the gum bottom ones that came out and wears those all the time. The red and white ones are my favorite. I like the Supreme ones, I’ll track ‘em down."
P.J. Tucker - Toronto Raptors
"I was born in ’85, so my first pair of shoes were Air Jordan 1s. My mom is a big Carolina fan and from North Carolina. So, when those Jordan 1s came out, my mom bought them for me. My granddad still has those shoes. It’s still my favorite shoe of all time. It’s crazy that they were the first pair of shoes I ever had."
D.J. Augustin - Orlando Magic
"The team Jordans, the Jumpman Pro. It actually just came back out. That was my first pair of Jordans ever. My parents couldn’t really afford Jordan stuff at the time, so I was really excited about it and I never forgot that. It was the pair of Jordans that got me started, and I’m excited about getting a pair of them now that they came back out, so I’m waiting on that pair to come. Now I get tons of Jordans every other day, some of them I don’t even wear and I give them away. It’s just a blessing."
Wilson Chandler - Denver Nuggets
"The OG 4s, the Breds. They just inspired me for some reason. And I’ve always been an Air Force 1 fan—Mids mostly."
Paul George - Indiana Pacers
"Every Jordan. All the Jordans growing up—that was the thing in high school. I wasn’t really into sneakers like that until I was going into high school. I wanted to look good on court more than anything. I wasn’t into how I was dressing or the clothes and style like that. It was more looking sharp and being the best on the court."
J.R. Smith - Cleveland Cavaliers
"For me I think was the Jordan 2s, they came out in ’87. I was two when they came out, but later on when I was five or six, my older brother and my cousins were sneakerheads, and they asked me which ones were my favorite ones and I always [said those]. Unfortunately since I was two so I missed them [laughs], but those were my favorite ones. I got all of them now, all of the 2s. Obviously they’re comfortable, but to me, I think those and the 12s are the best shoes to play in."
