What They Wore in College – The Newest 76ers
For all the hype going in, the 2019 NBA Draft was boring. Yes, there were some trades, but as mentioned by every sports outlet, the players wearing the wrong hats makes no logical sense. If the “experts” don’t know what’s going on, how are fans supposed to understand? I was watching at a bar with no sound and it was almost impossible to know what teams the guys would actually be playing for. I get it that the deals cannot be completed until July, but that is convoluted, too. None of it makes much sense.
The 76ers went into the draft with 5 total picks. They came out of it with two new players, some cash, and no more Johnathan Simmons on the roster. The team’s draft plan did not seem stellar from the outside, but if there is a plan, then let’s let it play out before we fully judge.
Alright, enough about the draft.
Summer League starts in a few weeks, and I’ll have full breakdowns of the footwear, but let’s take a look at what the newest Sixers wore in college.
Matisse Thybulle
Our first-round pick played his college ball at Washington. He was the best defender in the country as a senior (granted the Huskies played a zone). Washington was a Nike school for his four years there.
He wore the Nike PG 2 for most of this past season. The white and gold version above looks like it was created on NikeID.
Previously in his college career, he laced up a few different models. He wore some purple sneakers to match his Huskies gears – Nike Zoom Kobe A.D. ‘Purple Stardust’ and Nike PG 1 ‘Bright Violet’.
Marial Shayok
Shayok was drafted in the second round. He began his career playing at the University of Virginia and played this year at Iowa State. It remains to be seen if he’ll make the roster this season, but you’d think that if the team retains Jimmy and Tobias, then they will need some cheap players to round out the bench mob.
Unlike Thybulle, Shayok took the court at the NBA Draft Combine. He wore the rather mundane Nike Kyrie 3 ‘Marble’. During his senior season with the Cyclones, he mostly played in the Nike Kyrie 2 ‘Triple Black’. It appears that he likes the color black.
While playing at UVA earlier in his college career, Shayok was much more creative with his sneaker options. He played countless games in the beautifully designed Nike Kyrie 2 ‘Black History Month’.
He played in two different Air Jordan XI – ‘Gamma’ and ‘Legend Blue’ – that were released during his Freshman season in 2014. If you’re wondering, yes, Shayok is older than Ben Simmons – by almost one full year.
Terry Harris
Harris, the younger brother of Tobias, was signed to play on the Sixers’ Summer League team. Odds are low that he’ll make the team, but it is a nice gesture (read: bargaining ploy) by the team. Harris played for three different colleges – Houston Baptist (2014-16), Eastern Michigan (2017-18), and North Carolina A&T (2018-19). Here he’s seen wearing the Air Jordan I ‘Gold Medal’ while playing for NC A&T. Hopefully he was wearing some orthotics.
.@TerryHarris115, one of #Sixers forward @tobias31’s brothers, will participate in Monday’s Sixers’ predraft workout. The former @ncatsuaggies 6-6 swingman worked out for the #Suns today. Another brother, @ty1erharris, participated in this weekend’s #Sixers free-agency workouts. pic.twitter.com/yc8Vkvj8PA
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) June 1, 2019
Christ Koumadje
Also signed to the Summer League roster is the 7-foot-4, 285-pound former Florida State center. I honestly know nothing about him other than that he’s a large human. I’m looking forward to Sixers-Celtics Summer League game purely for the Christ Koumadje vs. Tacko Fall chess match in the low post. Anyway, he wore FSU-colored Nike Kyrie 5 his senior season.
One note is that just because a guy wore a brand in college obviously doesn’t mean that he will wear them as a pro, but none of the players above will move the needle for a company.
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I also have an unsolicited plug for something that I’ve been enjoying for a few months now. If you read this, then you probably have some interest in sneakers and Philadelphia. I want to recommend the Playground Politics (@plygrndpltcs) podcast. Two Philly guys – @racslife_ and @MrCrispyCoyle – talk about numerous topics, but the crux tends to be sneaker culture. They both have years of experience and a unique insight. I fully endorse.
Stay tuned.
