PJ Tucker’s shoes, explained: Inside the rise of the NBA’s undisputed sneaker king

Abraham Smith

When it comes to sneakers in the NBA, there’s PJ Tucker, and then there’s everyone else.

Tucker’s reign as the NBA’s undisputed sneaker king began not long after he returned to the NBA as a member of the Suns nearly a decade ago.

What makes someone the “Sneaker King” anyway? For Tucker, it’s not a gimmick, but an extension of who he is on and off the floor.

Over the years, this personality has taken on a life of its own as Tucker’s reputation often precedes him inside and outside of the basketball circle.

That’s how it happened.

MORE: Which NBA players have their own signature sneaker?

The rise of PJ Tucker to become the undisputed sneaker king of the NBA

When choosing on-court sneakers, two factors often stand out most at Tucker: rarity and aesthetics.

Tucker has sneakerheads wondering why he even considered wearing certain styles to an NBA game, while his peers are often confused as to how he even managed to get his hands on certain pairs.

Arrived in 2015

It’s impossible to pinpoint a single moment that marked the beginning of Tucker’s reign, but a few notable decisions from the 2015-16 season stand out.

This season, Tucker took the floor with Nike Air Yeezy (2009), Nike Air Yeezy 2 (2012) and a pair of Nike Huarache 2K4 Player Edition (PE) which, as the name suggests, were released over a decade earlier. The coloring would suggest that Tucker was the beneficiary of some digs into Phoenix’s equipment closet.

PJ Tucker Getty FTR

The Houston Years

After a brief stint in Toronto, Tucker joined the Rockets ahead of the 2017-18 season.

In his first season with the Rockets, Tucker released the 2014 “Red October” Air Yeezy 2, an Air Jordan 2 made exclusively for Richard Hamilton in the 2008-09 season, and a Nelly (yes, that Nelly) edition from Nike’s Charles Barkley silhouette, released in 2003.

These are just three of many possibilities that also include one Oregon-exclusive Air Jordan 5 created for Ducks student-athletes who Air Jordan 7 Premium Bin23which was limited to just over 2,000 pairs in 2010, and original LeBrons and Kobes, which were at least is 10 years old.

The price of some of these sneakers? The Oregon Jordan 5s last sold for $14,000 on StockX, while the “Red Octobers” are available in the neighborhood of $15,000 to $20,000. Given that only 5,000 were said to have been made, those prices make sense some Sense.

At least one of the 5,000 was worn on an NBA floor, making it fitting that SLAM Magazine would crown Tucker king in 2018.

rare air

Tucker’s versatility sets him apart.

It would be one thing to just wear older shoes or to have a collection of the trendiest shoes, but Tucker also wears the cult classics and other styles that tend to polarize sneaker communities simply because he wears what he likes. When the NBA eased color restrictions on sneakers ahead of the 2018-19 season, Tucker was given an even bigger runway to stand out.

As a sophomore in Houston, Tucker wore things that no one else might have, like the “Beast” Nike LeBron 2 (2004), which was originally believed to be a one-off for LeBron himself.

Guess not.

Or how about when Tucker, a graduate student from Texas (who happens to be from Tar Heel state), wore an Air Jordan 4, designed exclusively for students, athletes and staff at UNC, as the Rockets took on the Hornets in Charlotte lined up?

The undisputed king

When Tucker claimed the crown, it got to a point where people began to expect the unexpected of him when it came to footwear. Somehow he still manages to surprise people.

Tucker has admitted that he was “wearing LeBron and Jordan PEs that shocked even them,” and these two sneaker icons are two of many who surprise him.

On Christmas 2019, Tucker went to work in Mark Wahlberg’s “Wahlburger” Air Jordan 4, a sneaker that reportedly had 46 pairs in circulation and cost over $15,000 at the time.

When the NBA relocated to Walt Disney World for the 2020 season restart, Tucker said he sent 110 pairs of game sneakers to the resort and continued to increase the number during his stay.

As part of his endorsement deal with Nike, Tucker will receive his own player exclusives, including a Kobe 5 Protro that has been released to the public. It’s Kobe’s silhouette, but Tucker’s design and the retail release of a PE is an accolade reserved for a select few.

Speaking of exclusives, it was in Milwaukee that Tucker debuted Giannis Antetokounmpo’s signature shoe before Giannis actually spoke in them.

And it didn’t stop when he got to Miami either, as Tucker came out with a Carmelo Anthony Jordan 4 PE that caused Anthony to raise eyebrows.

With Tucker, we’ve passed the point where his sneakers raise eyebrows because of the price. The shoes he wears to NBA games will likely never be available to buy, making them priceless.

It began almost a decade ago with sun-friendly colorways from Kobes, KDs and LeBrons and continues with others wearing Tucker’s shoe on foot.

Reign continues in Philly.

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