What They’re Wearing – Thankful for Jimmy Butler
Credit: Sixers.com
Happy belated Thanksgiving to you and yours.
I am thankful for many things in my life. I am thankful for the Philadelphia 76ers. I am thankful Joel Embiid playing himself into the MVP picture. I am thankful for Jimmy Butler hitting game winners. I am thankful for Kendall Jenner and Ben Simmons giving people something to be stupidly angry about. Most importantly, I am thankful that the NBA has allowed players to wear whatever sneakers they want during the season, and the players (and brands) are going all out.
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Sixers’ Notes
Jimmy Butler
In regards to the sneakers, Jimmy Butler was the star. He reached into his closet and pulled out some of his Air Jordan’s that haven’t seen the light of day in a few years. We’re not talking retro Jordan’s here – those are a dime a dozen. Jimmy brought out some more recent Jordan signature models in custom colorways.
In the game against Phoenix, Butler stepped on court in a model that was originally released in February 2016 when he was playing with the Bulls. The Jordan XX9 Low “Jimmy Buckets” were introduced as part of a pack featuring Butler and other Jordan Brand athletes.
A few nights later versus the Pelicans, he wore an all-black pair of Air Jordan 31 that featured subtle hits of red. These were never released for retail. These were likely hold-overs from his time in Chicago.
He broke out a pair of Air Jordan XX9 with hits of black and Carolina blue in Friday’s loss to the Cavaliers. This was also a player exclusive that never made it to retail. This is one of my favorite recent Air Jordan models. They did a lot of creative things at the time that didn’t get their due.
Jimmy hit the game winner on Sunday night in Brooklyn while wearing the Jordan XX8 SE “Bel Air.” While not my favorite model, the multi-color upper is a head-turner. Let’s hope he has more tricks up his sleeve throughout the rest of the season.
Joel Embiid
Not to be overshadowed, the newly-crowned best big man in basketball also broke out a new colorway of the Under Armour HOVR Havoc. Similar to Butler’s Jordans, these feature a multi-colored upper. The shoes have a serious Martin vibe. I’m glad UA is giving him something outside the box. They’ve proven that they have the capabilities to do interesting things with Steph Curry’s line, so let’s hope Joel can start having some design input.
Wilson Chandler
Chandler has proven to be a quality edition to the team. He’s an above average complementary piece to the core stars. To my knowledge, he’s worn the Nike KD 11 for the games he’s played in this season. Against the Suns he played in the Nike Kyrie 4 low, but has been back to his preferred Nike KD 11 since.
Allen Iverson
A.I. showed up at The Wells Fargo on Thanksgiving Eve before making his way down to the Chili’s on City Ave. He was wearing the newly released Reebok Iverson Legacy. The sneaker pulls pieces from some of his previous Reebok signature models to create a Franken-sneaker that probably never should have seen the light of day.
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Opponent’s Notes
Phoenix Suns
Deandre Ayton
Ayton was one of the first players to sign with Puma when they re-entered the basketball market. He had some issues initially when Puma was unable to make their Clyde Court Disrupt model in the size 18 that Ayton needed. Those issues seem to be in the past, however. Ayton has been wearing them consistently and hasn’t had any issues.
New Orleans Pelicans
Tim Frazier
I have a soft spot for Nittany Lions in the NBA. Tim Frazier has turned himself into a good back-up point guard who can step into the starting lineup if necessary. Against the Sixers he wore the Adidas Dame 4 “Stats”. I like the look, but why would you want to wear some other guy’s stats and motivation on your sneakers?
Cleveland Cavaliers
There’s not much to note with the Cavs. The personality in Cleveland is gone now that JR is in exile.
In case you missed it, Kendall Jenner was in the stands. She has an endorsement deal with Adidas, so she wearing the Yeezy Wave Runner 700 that was “designed” by her brother-in-law. Please stop with the hate, people. Two young people having fun is no reason to start a petition. Go be unnecessarily angry about the Eagles.
Brooklyn Nets
Spencer Dinwiddie
A few weeks ago I broke down Dinwiddie’s interesting sneaker story. On Sunday night he wore Creed II inspired versions of his K8IROS 8.1 which were made in collaboration with sneaker customizer Kickasso.
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That’s all I have for this round of sneaker happenings. Three home games upcoming (Knicks, Wizards, and Grizzlies) before heading through customs for a showdown in Toronto next Wednesday.
Stay Tuned.
