5. Who consistently wears the best kicks on court in the NBA?
Sweeney: It’s probably Derrick Williams. He enjoys breaking out stuff people haven’t seen in years and he’s doing it in a place that has somewhat difficult colors. If we’re talking sig sneakers, it’s definitely LeBron. Not even close for me. The X is already one of my favorite shoes ever and he killed it all year long. I’m not sure what will happen with the LeBron 11, but I’m sure the King will have some crazy PEs up his sleeve regardless.
McMenamin: I’ll have to go with Ray Allen. He always seems to have great PE Jordans on and he makes them look good, wearing a sneaker that is as appealing to admire as his picture-perfect shooting stroke.
MacKenzie: Maybe/probably a little biased here, but aside from Kicks on Court winner Derrick Williams, DeMar DeRozan had heads spinning last season. He wears a lot of Kobes, but when he pulls out his Jordans, the locker room is always talking about them.
Twersky: Excluding LeBron James and Kobe Bryant—that is, if you like their signature models—and excluding Monta Ellis, Nate Robinson, Nick Young and Derrick Williams—known sneakerheads who aren’t afraid to pull off anything—I’d like to say that, quiet as kept, Michael Beasley wears some of the best kicks in the League.
Kerby: Ray Allen.
Kiel: LeBron James. Ever since 2008 with the Zoom LeBron VI, King James has consistently worn the best shoe in terms of performance, theme, style and colorway. Nike continues to incorporate new, game-changing technologies to LeBron’s line and supply him with a nice, persistent balance of player exclusives, NIKEiDs, and general releases to the court. Plus, big-game wears, like the “Big Apple” Zoom LeBron VI, the all-suede LeBron X in his first game against Brooklyn and the “MVP” pair he wore in the semifinals propel his on-court footwear past everyone else – signature athlete or not.
Wong: A few guys do it well (all the Kicks On Court nominees from last year) but they’re a majority of Nike guys. Not that Nike is the end-all, be-all, but the Nike guys have an advantage since there are more models and brands (with Converse and Jordan) and they have a deep archive of memorable hits. I hope Iman Shumpert takes it another level with adidas, they’ve got a long history of shoes that many of today’s kids might not be aware of and Iman’s not afraid to lace em up.
Whitaker: Nate Robinson.
Ungvari: It’s Nate Robinson. It’ll be interesting to see what Nate does now that he’s in Denver. I’m anxious to see how much he’ll be influenced by his new team’s color scheme. It’s seamless when you’re wearing Jordans while playing for the Bulls. Let’s see what he does now that he’s in different shades of blue and yellow. If you can pull off wearing AJ 7 Miros, you can probably pull off anything.
Cason: I’m going to have to go with Derrick Williams, simply based on variety and it was hard to pick him over Nick Young, but Derrick rocked some heat last season and I’m looking for more of the same with him in what should be a good year for the T’Wolves – health permitting.
