Shoes and basketball have gone hand in hand for quite some time, but sneaker culture is larger than it’s ever been.
Players across the Association are constantly swapping out the sneakers on a game-to-game basis, sometimes even on a quarter-to-quarter basis.
According to a recent story by The Sacramento Bee, the Kings locker room offers a varying range of sneakerheads.
Harry Giles III, for example, said that he has “at least” 200 pairs of kicks to his name. Though, he also claimed that he is trying to scale back on his shoe purchases.
“I’ve got too many of them,” Giles said to The Sacramento Bee.
Justin James is in just his first season in the League, but has already started adding more to his collection early on in his career.
“We definitely have a great supply of shoes, but whenever we want something specific, we have to pay out of pocket,” said the rookie. “I don’t mind, obviously.”
Fans across the NBA have become familiar with De’Aaron Fox’s willingness to bring out unique sneakers during games, stepping into a wide array of colors and styles.
Swipa shied away from being a sneakerhead himself, but instead claimed that his brother Quentin is better suited for the title.
“He gets me more stuff than he gets himself,” said the Kings point guard. “He’s definitely more into it. He’s the creative type. Anything custom I wear during a game is something he’s created.”
Fox isn’t the only one with family influencing his shoe game. Richaun Holmes also claimed that his mom is actually responsible for adding to his footwear selection.
“My mom constantly sends me shoes,” No. 22 said. “That’s what’s funny. She’s more the shoe person than I am.”
Head coach Luke Walton is a former player who gets the idea of sneaker culture to an extent, but is far more focused on how the squad performs regardless of what they’re lacing up.
“But whatever gets guys comfortable and ready to play, we want to provide that.”