P.J. Tucker is the NBA’s undisputed chief sneakerhead, combining the budget enabled by a league salary along with the willingness to dig deep to find extremely rare pairs of shoes. Thursday night, in a return to the city where he won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Philadelphia 76ers swingman played in a pair of kicks that once again lead many to ask, “How did he get that?”
Tucker played in all-red Air Jordan 11 that was made as a player-exclusive for the baseball player Mookie Betts. The Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder first showed off the pair in 2020 in a video shot from the team’s locker room. Given how rare the sneakers are, there’s a nontrivial chance Tucker got them from Betts himself.
Tucker’s sneaker prowess is so great that he’s even shocked fellow NBA players. Back in 2021, Carmelo Anthony was incredulous over the fact that Tucker had been able to find a pair of the Air Jordan 5 “PRFC.” The sneakers were exclusively made for players on Puerto Rico FC, the now-dissolved soccer team that played in the North American Soccer League and was owned by Anthony.
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What’s noteworthy about Tucker isn’t just that he’s able to collect such hard-to-find sneakers, it’s that he’s even willing to play in them. Aside from the fact that he forgoes the performance benefits of much more modern shoes by doing so, he also subjects them to the rigors (and scuffs) that come from playing in a professional basketball game.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
