NBA Rookies Shine In Debuts: What They Were Wearing

Rookies shined in their NBA regular season debuts on Wednesday, with Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor leading the way with 26 points. But the Duke University product wasn’t the only first year player to make an impact in his first career regular season game.

Although the 76ers lost to the Boston Celtics 112-95, Okafor’s 26 points in 38 minutes led the team. The center – who hit the court in the Nike Kobe X Elite – also had seven rebounds.

While Okafor had the most points from a rookie on Wednesday, another Duke alum had arguably the biggest show-stopping moment in his debut. Justise Winslow, the Adidas-sponsored forward for the Miami Heat, threw down a left-handed dunk over three Charlotte Hornets players surrounding the basket with authority. Winslow, who wore the Adidas D Rose 773 shoes on the court, finished with 5 points in 26 minutes played.

New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis, who was declared a draft bust before ever stepping on the court, had the second highest scoring total for the team in its 122-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, scoring 16 points in 24 minutes. Porzingis was spotted wearing the Nike Kobe X Elite on the court, a shoe he announced he would wear on his Twitter page on Saturday.

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Kobe X https://t.co/1NRkP1U0Ep

— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) October 24, 2015

#AskKP What sneaker will you be wearing in your NBA Debut @kporzee

— Chipmochamp (@PepeThaKnick) October 24, 2015

Aside from rookies Okafor, Porzingis – and, of course, veteran Kobe Bryant – the second overall pick in the 2015 draft D’Angelo Russell hit the court in not one but two pairs of the Nike Kobe X shoe. Russell, who started for the Los Angeles Lakers and scored 4 points in his debut, wore a low gray and white version of the shoe as well as a purple and yellow high version.

D'Angelo Russell Nike Kobe X Elite — D’Angelo Russell in his first NBA regular season game in the Kobe X Elite.

CREDIT: Getty.

The first overall pick in the 2015 draft, Karl-Anthony Towns, hit the court in Nike, a brand he signed with back in August. Towns dropped 14 points in the win over the Lakers.

Under Armour-sponsored baller Emmanuel Mudiay, who signed with the brand while playing basketball in China, scored 17 points for the Denver Nuggets in their upset win over the Houston Rockets. He hit the court in a Nuggets-inspired colorway of the brand’s ClutchFit Drive 2 shoe.