Nate Robinson is not new to Kicks On Court.
The state of Nate is very much intact and has, in fact, always been marked by consistency since the beginnings of our Kicks On Court column. If you recall, Nate was the first ever Kicks On Court Champion in 2010, wearing sneakers such as the “Birthday Bundle” LeBron IV, the “Altitude” 13s and the “St. Vincent-St. Mary” LeBron V. His reputation as a sneaker guy in the NBA is well documented, and even his peers take notice of what graces his feet on the regular.
“You know, Nate is going to go to the extreme with his kicks on court,” said fellow Kicks On Court Champion nominee Nick Young. “That’s just what he does.”
Nate has always worn a medley of sneakers on court; Barkleys, Pennys, Kobes, Jordans and LeBrons have all been laced up by him throughout his career. Yet, this season he was granted the opportunity to play for the team his childhood idol, Michael Jordan, led during the 90s. For Nate, that meant playing in the United Center, donning pinstripe uniforms and channeling MJ in everything from jaw-dropping highlights to kicks on court.
“Before the season, I went back and watched MJ play, and I paid attention to what he wore against certain teams,” said Robinson. “Some of those games inspired what I wore this season.”
The inspiration was definitely obvious on some nights more than others. Sure, he wore an array of Jordans on court for the majority of the season (all but one game this year), including the “Hare” Air Jordan 7, the “Taxi” Air Jordan 12 and the “Miro” Air Jordan 7, but there were certain notable choices he made in literally trying to be like Mike. For example, Robinson specifically rocked the “Concord” Air Jordan 11 in one of the few games that the Chicago Bulls donned the ever-so-popular pinstripe uniforms. The “Concord” 11 has been a common wear in the NBA for the past couple of seasons, but having the presence of mind to wear a shoe MJ wore consistently with those same pinstripe uniforms was, well, Jordan-like.
Despite channeling MJ in his season as a Chicago Bull, Robinson brought his own flavor to the hardwood. While MJ wore a total of 1-3 different shoes per season, Robinson laced up 23 different shoes with 22 of them being Air Jordans retros. When asked which shoe would have been his 23rd had he knew he was so close to that infamous number of shoes worn, Nate simply said, “I would have probably took it back to the original Air Jordan 1.”
And then there’s the Yeezy 2. Why?
“I just wanted to let the sneaker people know that I have the kicks on court game on lockdown,” said Robinson. “I feel like I really do.”
Check out how Nate Robinson fared in our five departments of Kicks On Court Champion voting. Plus, get a full recap of everything Robinson brought to the court this season.
Nike Air Yeezy 2 Black/Solar Red Air Jordan 7 “Miro” Air Jordan 11 “Concord” with Bulls’ Pinstripe Uniforms
Top Element of Surprise Wears:
1. Nike Air Yeezy 2 Black/Solar Red
2. Air Jordan 7 “Miro”
3. Air Jordan 11 “Concord” with Bulls’ Pinstripe Uniforms
4. Three Shoes in One Game (Air Jordan 3 Black/Cement, Air Jordan 10 “Chicago”, Air Jordan 12 White/Red)
Nate Robinson is responsible for arguably the two biggest surprises of the season. No single shoe on court shook the sneaker world harder than his wear of the Nike Air Yeezy 2 against San Antonio. You would have to go back to Gilbert Arenas’ bizarre wear of the Dolce & Gabbana shoe two years ago to even begin to compare. The “Miro” Air Jordan 7 was untouched in regards to kicks on court as well, and three shoes in one game is just craziness.
