Nice Kicks: We’ve seen you wear Barkleys since your rookie season. Is the Nike Air Max2 CB 94 your go-to sneaker?
Nate Robinson: Yeah, I’ve been wearing Barkleys consistently since college. I even wore them in high school once during the summer. I think they messed them up when they made the Air Max Barkley version. On the regular Barkleys, the shoestrings never came untied because they had locks on the sides of the shoe all the way up the collar. The new versions don’t have those, and it’s not the same. That made me not wear them this season.
Nice Kicks: You also played football in college. Is there any non-basketball signature sneakers that intrigue you?
Nate Robinson: Although it’s not a basketball shoe, another shoe that I love so much is the Deion Sanders Nike Diamond Turf II. That was the first shoe I ever wore in organized basketball when I was 10 years old. They just released them again, and I just got the red ones. Even though I’m a basketball guy, that’s one of my favorite shoes, period. Deion is one of the reasons why I wear #2 today.
Nice Kicks: Would you wear the Diamond Turf IIs on court today?
Nate Robinson: I would definitely wear the Diamond Turfs on court. If Nike came out with a yellow and blue pair during this past season, I would’ve definitely worn them with my Warriors jersey. I really would have. Hell yeah.
Nice Kicks: For one half of this season, you played alongside one of the hottest Kicks On Court nominees in Monta Ellis. Was there any jockeying for position or competition between you two in regards to bringing the best kicks to the court this season?
Nate Robinson: That man was buying Jordans after Jordans. It’s like he was trying to buy as many Jordans as he could. He bought so many. He had been with AND1 so many years, and he probably couldn’t wear the shoes he really wanted to because of his deal. That’s the same with Gilbert Arenas. He was with adidas for so many years, but he had so many Jordans that he saved. Gilbert has worn a couple pair of Js that made me say, ‘Dude, where did you find those, man?’ I think he wore a pair of Pennys that caught my attention as well. He had the “Concord” 11s on when he played against us earlier this year. But with me and Monta, we tried to bring out shoes early before they release as little surprises here and there. We try to stay on top of our game.
