P.J. Tucker has a lot of shoes.
No, I mean A LOT of shoes.
Who can confirm this? None other than the New York Times. In a recent piece about the NBA’s hidden rivalry of sneaker collecting, Tucker is the lead character thanks to a – how do we put this? – impressive amount of footwear.
How impressive? He needs four places to store them.
He keeps some at his home in Phoenix, where about 200 pairs are piled in boxes next to his bed. He stacks others in the locker room at US Airways Center, where he occupies two stalls.
His mother has been gracious enough to stow several dozen at her home. She was, after all, the person who enabled his shoe-buying habit as a child, driving him to a Footaction store whenever the latest pair of Jordans was available.
And then there is the climate-controlled warehouse in North Carolina, not far from where he grew up, where Tucker stashes the bulk of his 2,000-pair collection. He does his best to label the boxes; otherwise, he might forget what he owns.
That’s right. 2,000 pairs of shoes. And counting.
For the record, this writer owns a whopping three pairs: dress, casual, and a set of not-used-enough basketball shoes.
There’s a good reason for that. 1) My wife would never allow 200 pairs of shoes next to the bed, especially if they’re not hers. 2) My mother would hurl one pair of my shoes out of her house before letting several dozen in. 3) I don’t have a locker and 4) I can’t afford a warehouse.