PJ Tucker is an NBA veteran in the midst of his 15th season. Heâs carved out a reputation on the floor as a lockdown defender and a reliable three-point shooter for the Houston Rockets in recent years. But for many casual fans, Tuckerâs reputation as the NBAâs sneaker king precedes his effective play during the games.Â
Whether he is debuting Jerry Lorenzoâs Air Fear of God sneaker with Nike, breaking out unreleased LeBrons that collectors consider grails, or lacing up his latest Kobe PEs, Tuckerâs footwear is a nightly point of conversation. The dialogue has carried into the pregame tunnel too, with Tucker becoming a regular on accounts like LeagueFits, placing him among the Associationâs best-dressed players. His style has opened a new set of doors for him away from the game. He operates a clothing boutique, The Better Generation, in Houston. He sits front row during Fashion Week presentations. And for his latest project, Tucker has collaborated with Temples and Bridges to craft his own line of sunglasses, one of his favorite accessories.
For over a year, Tucker worked alongside Temples and Bridges founder Tito Riveros to bring the collection of handmade eyewear to life. The debut collection, set to release today via templesandbridges.com, will consist of three colorways of the âJune.â Each hue will be limited to a few hundred pairs and retail at $350. Styles include a translucent red frame with smoky lenses, blue tortoise frame with blue-tinted lenses, and a gray camo option with black lenses.Â
âIâm always thinking about changing things on something I like to make it something I love. Glasses are the No. 1 thing I do that with. I buy some that I really like, but itâs something I would change about it. And so when I designed these, I made those changes,â Tucker tells Complex. âI did all the things that I wanted to do and Tito from Temples and Bridges, he understood everything that I wanted to do.â
Ahead of Tuckerâs Temples and Bridges collab releasing to the world, we caught up with the Rockets vet to talk fashion, basketball, and of course, sneakers. Check out the full interview below.Â
You have this sunglasses collaboration with Temples and Bridges. How did that project come about for you?Â
Honestly, it was just a natural progression for me, my brand, my style, and things I wanted to do. Glasses are at the top of the list. I wear a lot of glasses. Iâve always felt like glasses are a great accessory to build off, just in everyday life, and itâs something that just came together as a natural progression.
Iâve recently realized the importance of a versatile collection of sunglasses. Have you always been a sunglasses guy?Â
Iâve always been an accessory guy, period. But I always, always wear sunglasses. Not even just sunglasses, even fashionable glasses have always been something Iâve done. I think, especially depending on different outfits, you got to have some versatility in your sunglass game. During the day and nighttime, depending on where youâre going. If youâre going to a party, if youâre going to a dinner party, you know what I mean? Whatever youâre doing, I feel a different vibe if Iâm wearing a suit than if Iâm wearing a hoodie or something. Thereâs so many different ways you can flex some glasses, so that definitely took part in why [I did this project].
I saw when you initially teased this project, you called it one of your favorite projects that you worked on last year. What was your idea for what you wanted to create? The colors, the style that you chose, and everything like that?Â
Honestly, it was something that I had already envisioned. I already figured it out how I wanted to do it, and what I wanted to do. I always talk about when I buy stuff, thereâs all these things you like about some stuff you buy, but itâs always something that youâre like, âDang, I woulda did this. I woulda did that.â In the back of my mind, Iâm always thinking about other things I would change on something I like to make it something I love. Glasses is the No. 1 thing I do that with. I buy some that I really like, but itâs something I would change about it. And so when I designed these, I did those changes.
I did all the things that I wanted to do and Tito from Temples and Bridges, he understood everything that I wanted to do. You know, some of the things, the natural things that he was like, âThis is how you do it,â and Iâm like, âNo, no, no, letâs do it like this.â Like when they came out, he was like, âYo, youâre right. I like that.â Iâm hoping that people will see the same.
As your reputation in the NBA grows as one of the most stylish players in the league right now, has it been cool to work on some of these style-related projects away from the court? I know youâve done the sunglasses, you have Better Generation and stuff, too. Has that been cool for you to explore?
It has been, itâs opened a lot of different doors and Iâve been able to do a lot of different things. I got a bunch more stuff this year that Iâm keeping under wraps that Iâm doing as well. So Iâm super excited about it. Iâve been working on it so much lately and itâs giving me that avenue to be able to really express myself and show PJ outside of basketball.
I know one of the things that you just did was those Rockets New Era fitteds with Better Generation. I saw that you wanted to make [The Better Generation] more of a traditional retail space. Can we expect to see that materialize more as the world starts to open up again? Because obviously COVID has kind of made things a little weird with that.
Yeah. Without a doubt. Weâre a storefront. Just with COVID, everythingâs been pushed back a little bit, but we are definitely a storefront. It is on the way. And we have a bunch of collaborations and stuff weâve been working on that we pushed back as well that will be dropping that I think people will absolutely love. Itâs been fun working through that stuff and getting it all together. Itâs been tough with COVID, but weâve been patient and waiting it out so that we can do everything we want and we can release things that we want as well. Youâll always want to do the online releases. Theyâre cool, but being able toâespecially being a new storeâbeing able to show love to all the people, and get people what they want in person, and show how much you care, thatâs a big part of it as well.
What are your thoughts at the moment on where the NBAâs at with fashion and the tunnel and everything? Obviously, people look at your shoes every night, and youâre on LeagueFits for the tunnel outfits and stuff. Do you like how much attention that part of the game is getting right now?
I think itâs something thatâs always been there. I just think people are taking more notice to it now. Guys have always got dressed for games. Guys have always done their thing. Itâs just now with social media and everything, itâs getting all the attention. But thatâs something thatâs always been there, especially since Iâve been playing. The older guys that I had on my team, they got dressed for games. Thatâs something Iâve always done, getting dressed for work. You look good, you play good. Itâs one of the things you just always take pride in. Itâs something that will continue to grow I think. So many guys are jumping onboard and really starting to do that as well, building a sort of personality in their style, in how theyâre feeling that day.
When you look around the league, do you see anybody as friendly competition or is there anyone whose fits you notice a little more than others? Do you pay attention to that at all during the season?
Itâs all friends. Thereâs no competition at all. I think just for me, getting dressed is like how Iâm feeling that day, nothing more, nothing less. Itâs all about my feeling. Itâs my personal reaction to that day. Some days Iâm not feeling as much and Iâll probably dress accordingly. Other days, I feel like doing something else and itâll show as well. So itâs something depending on where youâre at. If Iâm in LA I may dress in a way âcause Iâm in LA. Thatâs the vibe Iâm on. Or if Iâm in Detroit, then I may dress another way because thatâs the vibe, you know what Iâm saying? I donât think itâs a competition with anybody. I think everybodyâs styles are different.
I know you work with Kesha Mcleod pretty closely. What is that dynamic between you guys like and how helpful is she as far as getting ready for the games and stuff like that?
Honestly, Iâll always call her, like, my creative director. I send her pictures of stuff Iâm putting together and things and sheâll put the thumbs-down if she hates this, or she hates that. I really donât do the stylist thing where they send outfits and you put it on and wear it. Thatâs not my thing. Iâll hit up Kesha when Iâm looking for stuff. She finds things, hits designers up, hits brands up that I like, and Iâm looking to get stuff from. Sheâs perfect as a median for me. Itâs just one of those relationships. Sheâs like my homegirl, my sister. Looking for stuff, trying to do stuff, the insider stuff, thatâs who she is.
I have to ask you about sneakers. You recently pulled out the crazy âMVPâ Kobe Big Nike, the friends and family pair, on IG. I heard youâre working on another Kobe project in 2021.Â
Yeah I am. We so far from it, Iâm just trying to hold it down a little bit. Thereâs all the PEs and stuff that are coming, but I got some other stuff that Iâm doing with the Kobe stuff as well. So, Iâm excited about getting that underway.
You did the Kobe 5 last year. So this will be your second official release. What is it like getting to stamp your name on a shoe of such a legend of the game and adding your touch to the legacy of Kobe?
I donât know if I can think of anything bigger for me than being able to have my own pair of my favorite pair of shoes. Itâs incredible. I think for me, itâs even better than having my own shoe. Being able to put my version on, second to Michael Jordan, probably the most iconic shoe in the worldâŠ[Kobe] means a lot to me. So, I couldnât think of a bigger honor to be able to have.
Nike Basketball also just completed the LeBron Vote Back contest that they were holding on SNKRS. Iâm a big LeBron fan personally, and I didnât really like the results of that contest. What did you think about it? Were you following along?
Yeah, I was. That was bad. I didnât like the result either. That [LeBron 10] was not the best one. I liked those, but there was others. But thatâs how those things go, you never can foresee how those are going to end.
Personally, I wanted those purple suede Zoom Generations to come out.Â
Yes. Now that I could dig, for sure. Those are crazy.
Iâm sure it was different for you because youâve worn the Stewies. Youâve worn the Animal 2sâŠ
[Laughs.] Yeah, I had more than half of those for sure.
Are there any drops in 2021 that you have marked off, or are there any old pairs that you want to make sure to get off your checklist in 2021?
Itâs super crazy stuff. Thereâs nothing like, normal. Trying to think of something. [Laughs.]Â
Iâm still trying to find that Spike Lee Jordan 3. [Laughs.]Â Itâs stuff like that, stuff thatâs super, almost impossible to find. Itâs trying to get that sample of that one pair, that one shoe, that size, you know what Iâm saying? People donât even know how many pairs there are of those out there. Iâve only seen a few come to surface, but Iâm still looking for that one that nobodyâs heard of thatâs out there.
Are you talking about the gold ones he wore to the Oscars?
Yeah, the gold ones.
Thatâs a good one. Thatâs one of those ones.Â
Yeah, you know what Iâm saying? Itâs one of those ones. Like, people have no idea. Itâs like, âOh, they made a sample that nobody knows about.â So Iâm looking for that.
I know you told Complex a few years ago that you were spending like $200,000 on sneakers a year. Is it still that crazy? Have you slowed down? What is the budget looking like?
Is that what I said? I donât remember what I said. I donât know. I told them I didnât want to say a number and they begged me to say something and I just threw a number out there. [Laughs.]
So itâs safe to say itâs a crazy number.Â
Itâs a crazy number.
âCause even your teammates, DeMarcus Cousins posted that video online. It was the locker room in Houston. That had to have been over 100 pairs. Is there a point for you where youâre like, âMan, what do I do?â Are there teammates trying to buy them off you? That has to be crazy.
It never stops man. It literally never stops. [Laughs.]
You got to hold an auction or something in the locker room.
One day, one day I will.
I saw you also posted your UNC 6s that crumbled. Does that happen a lot at this point?
Yeah that happens with stuff that I didnât store properly, or stuff I bought from somebody that they didnât store properly. Some of those things Iâve had for years because I was in college or even before. So some of those pairs are literally mine Iâve had from the beginning. So theyâre just old, man. It just happens.
Youâve been wearing a lot of Kobes on the court this year. Is there a favorite pair that youâve pulled out for the season so far?Â
Yeah, I always do those just âcause theyâre my PEs. Theyâre the most constant pair. The âKyleâs Weddingâ is probably my favorite. I love those. Those are dope.
I need to toss a hypothetical at you real quick too, because a lot of people are talking about this shoe. Can we expect PJ Tucker to pull out the CDG Foams on court?Â
Somebody from Nike just hit me like, âYo, can you hoop in these?â I could, but I donât know if Iâm going to. I want to see the material, how they did the foam, I want to see. It may happen. Iâll say that. Letâs just say that.
I think itâs crazy that they changed the upper.
I know, thatâs why I want to see. I want to see how they made them. I havenât got my hands on a pair just yet. So weâll see.
Now that youâve gotten to sit with it a bit, Iâm just curious if you have any thoughts on the Harden trade and how that all went down. I know you guys were pretty close when he was on the team.Â
Itâs just one of those things. Itâs a business, man, itâs a business. Our team [the Houston Rockets] has made a lot of changes and [Harden] felt like in his prime that he wanted a chance to win it, which we all do. I want the same thing. If the opportunity is there to be able to change that right now⊠I mean, at the end of the dayâKyrie, KD, and then James, itâs hard to go against that. I think itâs a good opportunity for him.
On the flip side, the Rockets, you guys picked up Oladipo. In the offseason you signed Christian Wood. Heâs been a great asset for you guys so far. You just got Kevin Porter Jr. from Cleveland. The rosterâs looking young right now. So to that point, have you felt like youâve had to take on more responsibility as a veteran leader in the locker room right now?
Well, being a vet leader you always got responsibilities. That never stops. No matter whatâs going on, those responsibilities never change. So itâs something I have to do anyways. Just having a lot of new guys here, being here the longest and knowing how we do things over here, thatâs always a job in itself. Thatâs something that happens naturally.
What do you feel like the Rockets and you can accomplish this season? Whatâs your outlook on the rest of the year like right now?
You never know, man, day to day. Itâs the NBA. Thatâs how it goes. You never know whatâs going to happen. One day somebodyâs here and next day theyâre not. You know with our team ever-changing, literally itâs a completely different team from when the season started. You never know whatâs going to happen, so just take it day in, day out, do your job, and do the best you can.
I know obviously the season thatâs currently happening is your main focus as a player, but Iâm just curious if youâve gotten to sit and think about the past few seasons and what that core in Houston was able to accomplish over the past couple of years?
Honestly, I havenât even thought about it. Iâm not even going to lie. Being in the season, so much going on, being in my contract year and having to deal with my own personal issues as wellâyou donât really have time to really dissect and think about stuff like that. Thatâs stuff you do after you retire, or after you actually leave somewhere. Itâs tough to do that during the season while youâre in the midst of it. So thatâs something thatâs just ongoing, you know, just keep pushing and deal with the situation right at the moment.