Zach Edey, the ninth pick in the 2024 NBA draft, is the new center for the Memphis Grizzlies. Standing at an astounding 7-foot, 4-inches, the 22-year-old Canadian basketball player is certainly the right height for the job. Edey also has larger-than-normal feet, and wears a size 20 in shoes.
With a similar shoe size to former NBA center Shaquille O’Neal (who is 7-foot, 7-inches tall, revealed he is a 20 but prefers the extra space of a 22), it isn’t a walk in the park for Edey to find shoes in his size.
“They’re definitely not in Foot Lockers,” he told TSN during an interview last year when he was a student-athlete at Purdue University. “I used to shop on one site, I forget what it was called — it was like big feet or bigshoes.com or something like that — it’s not easy.”
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“Your toe would not even fit in my Air Force,” the interviewer said as they compared their feet side by side. Edey replied, “Yeah, you could probably put your shoe into one of my shoes.”
While his height helped land him a job in the NBA, Edey’s foot size does limit his footwear choices. When asked what his favorite signature shoe is in a different interview with Bleacher Report, he said, “I’m a bad person to ask about that…They don’t make them in my size.”
As Edey mentioned to TSN, having bigger feet often means turning to specialized brands that carry larger shoes, with some examples being Vaila and Naturalizer. Some people need wider shoes, another element of sizing that certain companies focus on more than others. Shoes from Oofos, Birkenstock, Brooks, Altra and other brands have been recommended by experts for people who need help in the width department.
Alongside Edey in the above-average shoe size world is fellow professional basketball player Brittney Griner, who wears a size 17 in men’s shoes. And then there is Simone Biles, who is 4-foot-8 and wears a size five in women’s, another underrepresented shoe size that can be hard to find in stores. The visibility of these athletes and their shopping troubles can potentially catalyze productive conversations about size inclusivity in the fashion industry.
With or without a wardrobe of signature shoes, Edey is already making his name in the NBA during the summer league season — perhaps he has some custom-made size 20 sneakers coming his way in the future.
