6. What are your thoughts on NIKEiDs and custom sneakers being more frequent on-court favorites this season?
Pollakoff: Players have limitless options with sneakers, both due to their income levels as well as their status as professionals in the NBA spotlight. It’s a natural evolution given the ability they have to get essentially whatever they want in terms of style and color, and we can expect this trend to only become more popular over time.
Schwadron: I love it. I think it’s a great way for players to continue to express their creativity on the court. The “look good, play good” philosophy seems to be more true in 2014 than ever, and with more NIKEiD options available to players and more custom designers doing great work linking with athletes, we’re seeing more and more originality, which is great. Guys are looking around the League and noticing what everyone else is wearing, and trying to one-up each other. It’s fun to watch.
Holdahl: I love it. It’s a great way for players who will never rise to the level of having their own signature express their personal style. We have a couple guys on the team, like Mo Williams, Thomas Robinson and Meyers Leonard who utilize NIKEiD for their in-game shoes on a regular basis.
But NIKEiD doesn’t come close to touching the customization my dude Robin Lopez breaks out every now and then. Lopez takes it back to those high school days in which you’d draw on your sneakers as a way to pass the time in class with the adidas Crazy 1 “Midas Heirs aka Fists of Midas” he wore in a game against the Warriors and the black and white adidas Crazy Ghost he customized for the home opener. Two of the coolest sneakers worn on court this season. Even with PEs, you’re still somewhat at the mercy of the facilitator, aka the designer employed by Nike/adidas/Under Armour, ect. But Robin is bypassing that whole process and putting whatever he damn well pleases on his sneakers. Of course, he has more artistic talent than most of his contemporaries, so while I’d love to see more players do this, maybe it’s best left to guys who have the background in illustration that RoLo does.
Kiel: I think it’s a great way for players to express themselves, especially those that don’t get the unlimited amount of exclusives that other players obtain. With customs, a player can wear that 1-of-1 design and know that no one else in the NBA will be able to play in that shoe, which is an intriguing factor to some.
Cason: I think it’s great for players and the fans. For the players, they get to express themselves a bit more on the court and it gives the fans some insight into that particular player’s style and interests. I think it’s just going to continue to grow because we’re seeing more and more players electing to iD or have their shoes customized just to separate themselves from the field.
DePaula: I think it’s awesome. For a lot of guys, they might not ever have a shot at getting their own signature shoe or even PEs, but they can still find ways to keep things exciting on the court and show some of their personality. Shoes in general are getting more and more loud, and it’s also been great to see what some guys have been coming up with on iD. You’ve got guys like Tony Allen that keep it super basic, and then a guy like Ben McLemore who goes for a bolder look with his miadidas Rose 4s. With NIKEiD, guys like DeMar DeRozan and Wilson Chandler can stick to the models they like most but still put their own spin on things. When it comes to customs, I’m still big on the shoe looking clean. I don’t like when guys add team logos or graphics, but simple color flips can be cool.
