Which player had the best sneakers of Week 7 in the NBA?
A surprise to no one, PJ Tucker once again headlined this week's kicks on the court. He kept up with the lofty bar he's already set with a rotation of rare and exclusive Kevin Durant sneakers from the start of the decade along with impossibly limited retro Air Jordans.
Paying homage yet again to a fellow Texas Longhorn, Tucker broke out a limited release from the end of Durant's third season. The celebratory look of Durant's Nike KD II sneaker honored his first of four NBA scoring titles in 2010, styled in his then-Thunder hues.
Also during the week, with a huge thanks to the league's lack of color restrictions, the Houston Rockets power forward wore perhaps the most beloved release of Durant's entire 11 model signature series. For many people, the "Nerf" KD IV put the series on the map, bringing an aspect of collectability and causing a frenzy among sneakerheads during its original 300-pair release.
The theme drafted off Durant's childlike pure love of the game, as the splatter-painted purple sneakers came packaged with a matching mini-ball, all inside a shoebox that transformed into an actual Nerf basketball hoop for good measure. The limited editions now often can fetch over $1,500 on the secondary market.
To finish off yet another strong sneaker week, Tucker turned to technology from over three decades ago, wearing the Air Jordan 1 in its latest limited-edition colorway. A new Miami-centric green and orange version made in collaboration with the 305's boutique SoleFly, the pair is set to launch later this week in honor of the city's annual Art Basel festival. One of two limited Jordan 1s made exclusively for the store, Tucker of course wore the alternate patent leather edition during his arena entry.
While in Miami earlier in the week, Atlanta Hawks small forward Taurean Prince wanted to pay his respects to longtime Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wadeduring what will be the future Hall of Famer's final season. The sneaker free agent Prince donned the Li-Ning Way of Wade 7, in the opposing team's festive "Miami Vice" colors, no less, during a closely contested 115-113 Hawks win in which both players finished with 18 points apiece.
"Respect big bro! Glad to witness ya last dance!" Prince excitedly captioned on Instagram after the game. Moved by the tribute, Wade also signed both sneakers for Prince afterward, adding accolade inscriptions, personal notes and his #OneLastDance hashtag celebrating his final season.
Elsewhere in the league, Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley Jr.broke out one of the industry's greatest sneaker designs of all time, the iconic Air Jordan 11, scheduled to release yet again later this week. The gleaming patent leather retro model originally designed by Tinker Hatfield is celebrating its 23rd anniversary this fall, with the "Concord" colorway a longtime favorite around the globe.
"The shoe sort of developed a life of its own because it transcended basketball a little bit, and ended up in modern culture and music history," Hatfield said. "It's my favorite because of all of those things."
For longtime Jordan executive Gentry Humphrey, his memory of the sneaker before its 1995 release still serves as the most excited he's ever been about a shoe during his career with the brand.
"I'll never forget the first sample that I saw," Humphrey said. "When it came in, I'm telling you, I was like a kid in a candy store. I was running around! You couldn't tell me it wasn't the greatest shoe ever."
Take a look at all of the best kicks from around the league this week, and be sure to vote for your favorite pair below. For real-time updates on what's on the feet of the game's biggest stars, join our ESPN SneakerCenter Facebook group.
