What They’re Wearing – The End of the Holidays
I’m back. The Holidays are over and like a Christmas ham to the face, January 2 slaps us back to reality. I really enjoy writing this column, but due to things out of my control (read: family, kids, life), I didn’t get to watch as much of the Sixers as I would have liked over the past two weeks, so I knew that this one was going to take much more research and scouring the internet than usual. I can normally just watch the game, notice a few things worth commenting on, and confirm on Twitter or Instagram. This time I needed to go back to the individual games and search through a bunch of pictures – not as fun as actually watching the games.
Please don’t think I’m complaining, though. Writing is fun. Sneakers are fun. And this 76ers team is fun.
Let’s get to the feet.
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Jimmy Butler
Ah yes, Jimmy Butler. As discussed significantly here in the past, Jimmy wears a new pair of Jordans for pretty much every game. He didn’t disappoint over my extended hiatus. Instead of a game by game break down, I’ll just list his sneakers for from the past two weeks.
12/16/2018 at Cleveland – Air Jordan 30 “UNC”
12/17/2018 at San Antonio – Air Jordan 30 “Gym Red”
12/19/2018 vs New York – Air Jordan XXXI
12/22/2018 at Toronto – Air Jordan XXXI
Christmas Day at Boston – Air Jordan XX9
12/27/2018 at Utah – Jordan Supreme Elevation
12/30/2018 at Portland – Air Jordan XX8 SE
01/01/2019 at LA Clippers – Jordan Supreme Elevation
01/02/2019 at Phoenix – DNP
Joel Embiid
Joel brought out a new pair of his Under Armour HOVR Havoc for Christmas Day against Boston. They feature the “Trust the Process” graphics that he’s worn previously, but are rendered in a striking neon yellow upper with red and black accents. According to his Instagram story, they will be auctioned off for charity.
credit: Complex.com
Since there is a lot more to discuss, I will have a truncated Sixers focused section this week. Don’t worry everyone, I did notice that TJ McConnell was wearing red Under Armour HOVR Havoc low instead of his normal blue pair against the Suns the other night. I see everything.
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I won’t be going through every game, but I’ll note things that I liked/thought were worth commenting on since mid-December. Let’s start with Christmas Day and then do some quick hitters.
Christmas Day – Boston Celtics
I know we all hate the Celtics (Sorry, JD), but they brought the heat on Christmas. Kyrie Irving has had the most consistent signature line of the past few years. The sheer volume of different colorways that release is astounding. He did not disappoint against the Sixers. Irving wore the Nike Kyrie 5 “Ikhet” that was created in collaboration with Cambridge, MA based sneaker store Concepts.
credit: Complex.com
Jayson Tatum wore another iteration of a Kyrie model. He opted for last year’s Nike Kyrie 4 “Yellow Lobster.” This sneaker is based on an extremely limited Nike SB Dunk that was also done in collaboration with Concepts back in 2009. Once again, the Kyrie line pulls inspiration from places that others wouldn’t dare.
credit: Complex.com
Not to be outdone but his Kyrie-clad brethren, Marcus Morris stepped on court in a custom pair of Christmas Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro. These are goofy, but you go tell him that. Jaylen Brown wore a holiday themed version of the new adidas T-Mac Millennium, which are a combination of all of Tracy McGrady’s adidas signature sneakers. They’re fine for what they are, but seem unnecessary. Finally for the Celtics, Terry Rozier played in the Puma Clyde Court Disrupt “Peace on Earth” that he customized with red laces. ‘Tis the season. The Celtics beat us on the court and on the feet.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Australia TJ McConnell has his own sneaker with Chinese brand Peak. The Peak Delly1 looks like a cheap Kobe knock-off, but congratulations to him for getting that money. The one thing he has going for him is his personal logo. It’s corny but still kinda cool looking. His name is spelled out in the shape of Australia with the basketball positioned where his hometown, Maryborough, Victoria, is located on the map. His sneakers get an F for plagiarism, but his logo is an A+ in my book.
There isn’t much to talk about from the San Antonio game. Demar DeRozan always comes out in a nice pair of Kobe’s – case and point.
Some of the Knicks players try to do some interesting things, but they’re the Knicks, so no thanks.
The only note I have from the Toronto game is from referee Tyler Ford. I’m sure none of you have noticed this – because why would you? – but Ford wears what looks to be black Sketchers Shape-Ups. In actuality, they are the Hoka One One Bondi 5. Hoka One One is a performance running brand that focuses on maximum cushioning. They are super comfortable, albeit tough to pull off casually. You can find them at most specialty running stores (my personal favorite is The Sneaker Shop in OCNJ).
Utah Jazz
credit: sneakernews.com
Our favorite rookie of the year runner-up debuted his new signature adidas model. The adidas D.O.N., which stands for Determination Over Negativity (whack), Issue #1 was shown to the world at a release party during the afternoon before the Jazz played the 76ers on 12/27/2018. The sneaker itself looks nice and is clearly going to be a lower tier price point signature model for the brand. The colorway shown at the release had definite Spider-man vibes, and the Issue #1 thing is marketing 101. I would have thought he’d debut them on court against the Sixers since it was a nationally televised TNT game, but he opted for a yellow pair of the adidas Pro Vision. Odd choice. Why go through the dog and pony show just to wear a different sneaker?
Another quick tidbit about the Jazz is that Thabo Sefalosha plays in the Nike Air Max 90. He’s been doing it for a few years, but it’s still striking to see someone wearing them on court.
Portland Trailblazers
Damian Lillard is also wearing a new adidas model. He’s been playing in the yet-to-be-released adidas Dame 5 for the past few games. He wore a gray version against Philly on the second to last night of the year. These feel like a step in the wrong direction for his signature line to me.
“These are kind of boring looking. What should we do?”
“I got it! Lets throw a weird blob with no functional purpose on the side of it!”
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On a personal note, my son turned one in early December. As a gift, one of his uncles sent him his first pair of real sneakers. Obviously every child needs a pair of the adidas Pharrell Williams Tennis Hu. Then on Christmas, my brother gave him a pair of sick Converse high-tops. The kid will be killing it at daycare.
My 3-year-old daughter, on the other hand, only wants to wear one pair of shoes all of the time. Pink sequined Hello Kitty cowboy boots anyone?
That’s all I have for now. Let’s seen what 2019 brings us.
Stay tuned.
