Our minds change when we travel. Being given time and space to think while up in the air allows ideas to form. The shifting time zones and landscapes brings wondrous feelings of inspiration. In these busy, busy days, we sit in our seats, look out or look up, and our minds wander. We’re blessed to have physical transportation further our emotional transformations. Journeys to different places make us into different people. Creativity flows and new art emerges. 

With all these years of adventuring, P.J. discovered a way to communicate his long-winding story. 

The “Sky Blue” Nike Air Flight ’89 is inspired by the countless flights that he’s taken. “Flight PJ17” is on the heel because this specific colorway takes its cue from the Boeing 777-300er that flies through the heavenly blue sky where metamorphosis occurs on the daily. P.J. took it even further by only making 472 pairs of these, a direct callback to the exact number of seats on a 777-300er. 

P.J. knows all about the sky, just like he knows all about sneakers. Picking the Air Flight ’89 for this colorway illustrates just how much he cares about staying true to his passion of rocking kicks that he personally loves. With a massive supply of more popular silhouettes at his disposal, he went with a deep cut—straight from the feet of Scottie Pippen. 

Originally known as the Nike Air Flight Low, this silhouette dropped back in 1989. Some will say it’s related to the Air Jordan IV because of its nearly-identical outsole and lace-locking system. Also, Tinker Hatfield (no stranger to long flights either) designed this pair, as he did the AJIV. But whether or not it’s actually related to the IV, it goes down as a important piece of Nike Basketball lore. Full-grain leather sits on the upper, while an encapsulated forefoot Air unit and a visible heel Air unit cushioned Pip’s landings from those acrobatic forays to the skies of the Chicago Stadium. 

Back in August, we released P.J.’s KICKS 26 cover story. It’s an appropriate time to bring back this quote from him: “Sneakers help me emotionally through everything. Just the love for shoes keeps my mind off of a lot of bullshit that I could be thinking about and dealing with. The love and the job, especially now just because we got so much going on within sneakers, culture, fashion and everything. It’s something that gives my mind a break off of everything else that’s going on around me. And I think different people have different things in their lives that, over years, they kind of figure [themselves] out, you know, things that make you happy. You know, you build a garden in your backyard, whatever it is. Wednesday night bowling with your boys. Everybody has something, and sneakers [have] always been my kind of release of everything where it’s just natural and I just love it.”

The post Inside the Inspiration: P.J. Tucker x ‘Sky Blue’ Nike Air Flight ’89 appeared first on SLAM.

“My life always revolved around basketball since I gained my first thoughts,” P.J. Tucker says. “My mom put a ball in my hand at 3 or 4 years old. It was a Michael Jordan basketball goal with the backboard. I just remember being in Germany and playing and the joy that playing basketball has brought me for 34 or 35 years. If somebody could see it through my eyes, the love and joy for the game and everything that kinda revolves and shapes the game…The game has been my life since I can remember, and that love and joy for it—just playing basketball—would be so crystal clear to people of why I play like I play and why I do what I do.”

P.J. Tucker is not the Sneaker King.

P.J. Tucker is a basketball player who loves sneakers. But he is not defined by sneakers. 

He is defined by passion. 

P.J. Tucker loves basketball. He loves everything that comes with it, too. But he does not love all of it more than he loves the game of basketball. 

A scorching hot day at The Better Generation in Houston is the backdrop for Tucker’s long-overdue KICKS cover shoot. There is a big picture to capture here. TBG is the sneaker store he co-founded and co-owns with Brandon Davis. We’ve shut it down for the day so that a Bentley Continental GT V8 could roll into the store’s front yard. 

Tucker knows cars, planes and trains very well. He’s hooped all over the globe. The son of Raleigh, NC, has played for six NBA teams. Though he was the 35th overall pick in 2006, he didn’t find a steady job in the League until 2012. Those years in between were spent playing overseas. 

As a world traveler, he has many stories to tell. Much to his delight, we give him a task to sketch out the connection between stories, hoops and sneakers. P.J. excitedly maps out his basketball career by highlighting the sneakers he most associates with each stop on his worldwide tour. 

Raleigh, NC, Enloe High School Eagles, Class of ’03

“Space Jam” Air Jordan XI

“Ohhhhh, I got my ‘Space Jams’ on going to New Bern Cook Out. We have a game that night. After the game, we go to Sheryl’s where the party’s at. It’s a hair and barbershop school. The lady’s [who owns it] son is our age and he threw parties, and he threw them at his mom’s spot. And then afterward, we going to Cook Out on the way home. My order, back then, I was all about the grilled chicken tray. Cajun grilled chicken sandwich. Lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, cajun fries.”

Austin, TX, University of Texas Longhorns, 2003-06

Reebok S. Carter 

“I was coming with it in Austin. In Austin I’m rocking the Sean Carter Reeboks. ‘S. Dots’ with a polo and jeans on. Killing them. You know they was a [size] 40, bro. You know they was a 40 with a belt. We’re going to The Drink. The Drink is the spot, that’s the stomping ground. Me, Vince Young and the crew. Everybody knows the basketball players and football players were at The Drink. The line is around the corner. You’re not getting in. We walking straight in, straight to the upstairs and it’s shut down. It’s over. We ain’t dropping a dime. Behind the bar pouring, bro…that’s different. Hook ’em.”

Greektown, Toronto, Ontario, Toronto Raptors, 2006-07 

“Brown Crocodile” Nike Air Force 1 Low

“Toronto, we’re going to Cactus Club. Vibes. I got on the ‘Brown Crocodile’ Air Force 1s. Yes, I got those on for sure. 100 percent. 100 percent. Oh my God. I had just started getting NBA checks. Them joints was $1,500, bro, retail. $1,500? In ’06? Cactus Club is a vibe, bro. It’s a restaurant-turned-speakeasy type. It’s four levels, [with] a rooftop…The lights on, going crazy, going crazy. You getting me hype over here.” 

Broomfield, CO, Colorado 14ers [D-League], 2006-07

Nike Air Force 1 Low 

“I was rocking all white Air Force 1s and I took no good clothes. It was, like, team sweats. I was out of my body because I really, like…it was probably one of the lowest points of my life when they sent me down. Oh man, it was bad. My swag was at an all-time low in Broomfield, Colorado.”

Holon, Israel, Hapoel Holon Tigers, 2007-08

Nike Air Yeezy 1 & Nike Air Huarache 2K8

“Finals MVP, a championship. Knocked off Maccabi for the first time in 30 years. Going crazy. One of my favorite years—entirely—in my career, NBA included. Top three for sure. But that was 2007-08. You know what dropped in ’08? They came out in Tel Aviv. If you don’t know what they is, [in] 2008, Kanye West released a shoe. That’s all I can tell you. He released a shoe. Oh man. I got them in Tel Aviv, dog. In Tel Aviv. I got two colorways in Tel Aviv. I got the gray and the tan. That was a year, dog. Happiness, playing basketball again. Because Toronto was a total…Toronto tore me down, and Tel Aviv brought me right back. Back falling in love with the game because I was able to play [again]. I only played 17 games in Toronto. That’s why my number is 17. So, it was like Tel Aviv brought me life back. And then I didn’t realize how much fun I was going to have playing in Europe. And it was like, Oh yeah, this is it. Listen. Huarache ’08. Top five basketball shoes ever to me. The white/blue/green pair. Oh my God. That year I hooped in those all year.”

Donetsk, Ukraine, BC Donetsk Tigers, 2008-10

Louis Vuitton Jaspers 

“I got the Louis. They just came out. The all white on white, the black high top, the gray with the pink bottom. I got all three in Kiev, Ukraine. All three. Walked right in the store. They was just right there. I need a 12. LV 12. [They reply] One second. All three pair. Oh my God. Mind you, I’m paying a lot more because the euro was kicking the shit out of the dollar back then. So we used to get paid and be like, Yo, give me some euros and…ah, it was bad. But it didn’t matter. They had all three in store. It was crazy. By myself. In Ukraine they speak no English. I had a translator that was with me, like, 80 percent of the time that the team paid for because nobody spoke English. And a driver and all that. But sometimes we landed in a city, like, good cities, I just dip out, all the good cities, and go shopping. It’s what I do. That’s like prime [Kobe] because Ukraine was Kobe 3 and 4. Ukraine was all Kobe for me. It was nothing else. Like, iDs crazy. Those were the years of iD crazy. And this is the most money I’ve ever made. I’m getting, like, $800,000 a year tax free. We’re going crazy. So I’m buying 10 pair of iDs at a time. You got nothing to do in Ukraine, so I’m just on my laptop making iDs, sending them to my mom’s house. My mom boxing them up, putting my cereal boxes [in them], my little stuff for me to eat and sending boxes at a time. Oh, the care packages are footwear. The food is additional. Throw some Cinnamon Toast Crunch in there for me, you know what I’m saying?”

Herzliya, Israel, Bnei Herzliya Basket, 2010

Nike Kobe 4

“Herzliya is crazy. We’re going to Herzliya Mall. Herzliya is on the water. They got the mall on the water. The mall is literally on the beach. Incredible. They had a Nike Store. You already know…”

Thessaloniki, Greece, Aris Basketball Club, 2010-11

Nike Kobe 5 

“Me and Bobby Brown used to go crazy at Thessaloniki. Kobe 5 year for sure. We had the all gold uniforms and that year the white/gold/black 5s [came out]. Had about 20 pairs of those. And just ran through those. Ran through ’em. Because everywhere you go, you gotta think, like, we got to Athens, Go to Nike Store. They got stores here? We go to the store. They got my size, I’m buying it every time. That way you can have them on time. Playing in your league, like, playing in Barcelona, Moscow. Nike stores. All these prime Kobe years, though, are the easiest because…making all those iDs to match the uniforms, shit used to be fun.”

Quebradillas, Puerto Rico, Piratas de Quebradillas, 2011

Nike Air Force 1 Low 

“We’re going to Isabella Beach. That was heavy Air Force 1. Puerto Rico, my Air Force 1 game there was crazy. Every day, Air Forced out. I’ve always been a big, big Air Force 1 [fan]. Where I’m from, that’s, like, the No. 1 shoe. You know the beach, all white on whites. It was a clean, fresh pair. That was all about that.”

Montegranaro, Italy, Sutor Basket Montegranaro, 2011

Nike Kobe 5 

“All Kobe. Italy was all Kobe.”

Bamberg, Germany, Brose Bamberg, 2011-12

Nike Kobe 8 

“Alright, so Bamberg is Kobe 8 and I would say my No. 1 Kobe. Crazy, because at the time I thought the 8 was the best ever. I just went crazy with the Kobe 8. And our colors were red, gray, black and white. And the Kobe 8 was just so perfect for the iD, dog. We just went insane with those. When I think of that, other than winning MVP, winning championships and doing all that, it was like, yo, the Kobes that year were insane. Playing in EuroLeague that year, everybody was wearing Kobe 8s, bro. Even when I look at pictures from back then, everybody was wearing Kobe 8s. It was like Kobe took over the world that year with that shoe.”

Phoenix, AZ, Phoenix Suns, 2012-17

“Olympic” Air Jordan VI and Amar’e Stoudemire Nike Air Max2 CB ’94 PE 

“[I always ate at] Matt’s Big Breakfast during the season in Phoenix. I was wearing a lot of heat during that time. That was the first big multi-year deal I signed. That was, like, filling in the blanks in my collection. I started getting a lot of stuff I wanted that I didn’t have. I just started going crazy. There was a store in Phoenix that was unbelievable during that time. Pound For Pound. Jay [Gaspar] had a pair that he had signed for him. And I was like, Jay—Jay is the equipment manager for Phoenix. He’s been there since he was, like, 6 years old. He was a ball boy at 6. He’s an OG equipment manager. One of my favorite people in the world. He’s the best. And he has Shaqs, Steve Nashs… And he has these white, gray and orange [Barkleys]. Ah, they’re beautiful. With the S.T.A.T. on the side. So that was a mission of mine to find those and I did. And the black, purple and orange. And the all-purple.”

Milwaukee, WI, Milwaukee Bucks, 2021

Nike Boots and Timberlands 

“Nah, listen, Steny’s was the spot [where I hung out]. And they’re big, big Milwaukee-everything fans. Milwaukee’s a bar town so all those kinda dive bars, local people go there every day for their drink after work. It’s that vibe of Milwaukee and why the love of Milwaukee is so crazy. Because these people are like, if they love you, they love you. I can’t buy a drink there. And you know the wild part, when I go back, I’ll sneak in and just surprise everybody. Like, all the locals, the people that go there every day. And it’s still, like, same shit. It’s dope.”

Miami, FL, Miami Heat, 2021-22

Nike Air Max 1 

“Here we go, here we go! I’m wearing heat in Miami. I’m wearing runners a lot in Miami. That’s just kinda the vibe. The Air Max 98 or 95 with my little Nike running sets. It’s so hot and chill. That’s just the everyday kinda uniform. Tank top, running shorts, Air Maxes. That’s just my everyday there. Air Max 1s. I would say Air Max 1s because that’s my favorite Air Max ever, and I wore Air Max 1s to death in Miami.”

Philadelphia, PA, Philadelphia 76ers, 2022-23

Air Jordan I 

“In Philly I wore a lot of Jordan Is, like, the normal brown Travis. I got a pair of ’85s and ’94s that I wear, the ones I wear wear. ‘Chicagos’ and ‘Breds’ both. And they’re my go-to pairs. Every time I wear those shoes, I wear those pairs. Even though I got a lot of ’85s and ’94s. They’re broken in perfect. They’re super comfortable. They’re, like, molded to my feet. They’re my shoes. They’re super worn down, but they look good.”

The Better Generation is shaped like a container. It’s a wide and narrow store. Walk in through the front door, turn left and P.J.’s section comes to life. A floor-to-ceiling display case of his Sixers jersey, game-worns and Kobe-signed pairs are the greeting. An impressively extensive collection of clothing follows. Two little seating pods close it out, resting underneath a “17” made out of moss. 

Seated under the 17, Tucker is fully engaged. He’s talking sneakers in a way that he doesn’t often get to talk sneakers. His high level of animation is a welcome surprise. He’s having a good time. Why doesn’t he share this side of himself more often?

“It’s not that many that [have] really, really been in it and been doing it and really understand it,” he says. “I almost tell them I don’t want to talk about shoes anymore because they don’t know. People don’t know, right? I’m not mad at them, I’m just tired of answering the same questions. Sneaker King, how are you—blah. Like, bro, you have no idea what any of this is about.”

He details how there are so many people out there who view him as the “Sneaker King.” They only know one thing about him. There’s much more to him than sneakers. It’s a constant in his life he can’t escape. People expect the anointed Sneaker King to behave a certain way. He doesn’t wear sneakers for the public’s approval, though. He does it out of the love that’s been mentioned. That love is threatened at all times by the uninitiated. His work to protect the pure nature of his passion is a daily commitment. 

“It gets ruined a lot,” Tucker says about his passion for sneakers. “There’s other things that bring it back. This [conversation] is bringing it back, 1000 percent. This is making me go back and think about my original love and why I do it and how it came to be. But even still, there are so many other things that tear it down and all the people that don’t really love it. They just kill it and destroy it. But that’s what makes me keep going, too. Regardless, I can’t let them take the shine away from what we love. All the things that make it what it is. It’s like, fuck that.”

He rolled up to this shoot with approximately 30 pairs in two giant bags, including the famous 24-pair holder that longtime followers of P.J. will know. Time unfortunately ran out and not every pair could be photographed. They were all hitters. Every single pair. Hype and resell value all through the roof. That’s not the best part. The best part is that all of them were worn. Every outsole showed clear signs of wear. And this is some stuff that’s so nice that it’s actually dumb. Dumb nice. Stupid nice. Crazy nice. 

“Kyle’s Wedding” Kobe 4s. “Board of Governors” XVIs. “Cactus Jack” IVs. “Pigeon” Dunk Lows. The Mags on the cover. Dumb, stupid, crazy nice pairs that 99 percent of people would never even put down on a carpeted floor in their own house. But Tucker wears all of them. He wears many more, too. He spent a few minutes during the shoot showing off photos that aren’t part of his Getty Images history, flicks from his days overseas. In real time, when the most hyped-up pairs of Kobe 4s-8s were getting released, he was playing in them. He wasn’t holding them for later. He was making memories with them on his feet. Even while at Texas, there are photos of him hooping in Air Jordan XIVs, Nike Air Penny 4s and Air Jordan IIIs.

Footwear has always been about memories and stories for Tucker. He doesn’t chase hype. He chases the indescribable feeling that sneakers give him. 

“It means something,” he says. “It puts you in a place and a time. And it gives you that feeling. And that feeling, like, there is nothing like that. 

“I can’t,” he responds when asked to verbalize the sensation. “It’s hard to put that feeling into words. It’s one of those things that only you know in your heart, like, how that shit makes you feel. No one else will ever understand it.”

KICKS 26 is OUT NOW!

He’s been communicating with everyone for years. What he’s saying in this interview has been said without speaking many times before. There’s another layer he mentioned about people not understanding him for who he is. Eagle-eyed Instagram followers will see beyond the sneakers and the cars and notice that a majority of Tucker’s captions have to do with mental fortitude and emotional evolution. He’s on a journey of betterment and the sneakers are part of it. 

“Sneakers help me emotionally through everything,” Tucker says. “Just the love for shoes keeps my mind off of a lot of bullshit that I could be thinking about and dealing with. The love and the job, especially now just because we got so much going on within sneakers, culture, fashion and everything. It’s something that gives my mind a break off of everything else that’s going on around me. And I think different people have different things in their lives that, over years, they kind of figure [themselves] out, you know, things that make you happy. You know, you build a garden in your backyard, whatever it is. Wednesday night bowling with your boys. Everybody has something, and sneakers [have] always been my kind of release of everything where it’s just natural and I just love it.”

There is an intensely deep connection that Tucker feels with the game and with what surrounds the game, including sneakers. And then there’s basketball itself. 

Tucker’s career arc hasn’t been easy. He was a beast at Enloe High, a man playing against little boys. He averaged more than 16 points a game in his junior year at Texas. He was a scorer while he was on the way up the ranks. But then he had to switch it all up. Like he said, the Raptors humbled him as a young pro. When he went over to Europe, he was a scorer again. He was a Finals MVP, a champion, a go-to guy. The man. But his goal was to make it back to the NBA. Change was nonstop. He had to continue to adapt.

Always evolving. 

At this point in 2023, his reputation as an NBA player was set in stone a long time ago. It’s a beautiful role. The 38-year-old is the last of a breed that went extinct a long time ago. He will do whatever is needed to win. Nothing better illustrates his desire for glory than Game 6 of the 2021 Finals. He played 36 minutes of extremely physical hoops and only took one shot. But his effort didn’t diminish at all. He had the best plus-minus of anyone in that game. Defense, hustle, energy, heart—raw passion. Good luck finding anyone else in the League right now whose effort wouldn’t go down if they couldn’t shoot the ball. Passion is the only way that a performance like that is possible. 

“[Desire to win] kind of built, even though I’ve always been like that, it made it through the roof of honesty with myself,” Tucker says. “With the ‘humble, hungry,’ like, all that. But it’s more understanding self. Understanding success, what it takes to be successful and how much you’d rather win than have individual success. Then once you figure out that people care about winners and not actual people, then that changes your whole trajectory, too. Everybody wants to win, but everybody wants to win the way that they want to win. They want to win being the man. They want to win with everybody saying their name. They want to win with everybody showing their highlights on ESPN and their friends being all happy, that kind of thing. But who wants to just fucking win, right? Who is like, I just want to win! I want to stand at the top of the mountain no matter what my stats are, no matter what happens. It ain’t a lot. I’ll tell you that right now. And to change your whole shit to be one of those people to not really care, to not care…Just to win.”

He says that things started to click for him when he made it back home from his overseas adventures. 

“There, I was the man,” he says about playing abroad. “I’m the guy, right? But then that’s how I learned to be a role player in the NBA. From being the man in Europe, I learned to be a role player because I know what I needed. I know what I needed guys to do. In Israel, I had my boy Chris Watson. Every rebound, he’s running down 50-50 balls. I can count on him. I knew what I was going to get from him. But it’s the self reflection of I’m not him and I’m not trying to be him. I’m not trying to fight him for a position. I don’t want to be James Harden. I’m P.J. What do you need me to do for you to be successful for us to win? I’m P.J. and I’m fucking the best P.J. there is in this fucking game. And nobody can do what I do on a nightly basis.”

His playing style and his playing style are both completely unique. And passion for both games drives it all.

“My love for basketball created my love for sneakers,” Tucker says. “I didn’t just [say] like, Oh, I like shoes. My first pair of shoes ever was a pair of Jordan Is in ’85. That was my mom. I didn’t pick that. But I did watch Michael Jordan and fall in love with the game and love what he was wearing. Then from that it was like…boom.” 

Portraits by Atiba Jefferson.

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Despite all that Harden has been able to accomplish over the first thirteen seasons of his career, critics often call his conditioning into question. This has been amplified by lingering hamstring injuries that affected his mobility during his short stint with Brooklyn and the beginning of his time in Philadelphia.  

When asked about his “terrific shape” as he entered this year’s training camp in a Media Day interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, the Beard said, “I’ve always said that if my conditioning can be level with my skill set, my IQ, and the work I put in, it’s MVP.” 

Harden believes that he will return to MVP form for this upcoming season because of his lack of severe injuries in years past.

“A hamstring is nothing to play with; you know what I mean?” Harden said. “Fortunately for me, I’ve never had a serious injury throughout my time, in life in general. The last two summers with the pandemic, it was all recovery. All rehabbing and doing those other things. Now I get a full summer where I can actually play pickup. Working out individually and actually playing pickup and playing basketball are two totally different things.” 

Although Harden has only won one MVP, he was the first runner-up on three different occasions and finished third in MVP voting as recently as 2020. During Harden’s nine seasons as a member of the Houston Rockets, he averaged 29.6 points per game, 7.7 assists per game, and 6.0 rebounds per game.

If Harden can integrate that production into Philly’s mix of talent, including fellow MVP runner-up Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, and PJ Tucker, Philadelphia will be a formidable contender during the 2022-2023 campaign.

The post James Harden is in ‘Terrific Shape’ and Believes He’s Back In MVP Form appeared first on SLAM.

Sixers star Joel Embiid had an MVP-worthy campaign. Tyrese Maxey had his breakout season. James Harden was brought into the mix on the trade deadline, giving the team a much-needed go-to scoring option to pair alongside Embiid, which can also facilitate. Although this seemed promising enough to go all the way, some pieces of the puzzle had to be filled.

A busy offseason for the organization led to Philadelphia bringing in players like former Sixth Man of the Year winner Montrezl Harrell, sharpshooter Danuel House, and veteran PJ Tucker. The acquisition of Tucker reunites him with Harden. The two had a lethal on-court connection back on the Houston Rockets, where they played four seasons together.

The grit that Tucker provides is something that every team needs. He will harass you on defense. He can stretch the floor. He will even trash-talk you the whole game. Since leaving the Rockets, the veteran played a crucial role for the Milwaukee Bucks on their way to winning a championship in 2021 and the Miami Heat last season when they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals as the first seed. 

On Media Day, Embiid declared Tucker as one of the X-Factors for the Heat in their series against Philadelphia in last year’s playoffs. 

“Obviously, playing against PJ, I thought if you don’t wanna mention Jimmy (Butler), I thought PJ was one of the X-Factors that really had a big impact for them against us. Obviously, Daryl (Morey) went out and did his job.”

As for Tucker’s former teammate and, of course, current teammate, Harden, believes having the veteran on the team this year is significant.

“I feel like we got the right pieces we need on both ends of the ball to make us a legit contender and be the last team standing,” said Harden during Media Day.

The post James Harden and Joel Embiid Fans of Newly Acquired PJ Tucker appeared first on SLAM.

PJ Tucker does have an expiring contract this coming free agency period and was one of the critical role players for Miami. His contract has expired, and Tucker is set to be an unrestricted free agency on Thursday at 6 p.m.

According to Marc Stein, rival teams are ‘convinced’ that Tucker will sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The deal would reportedly be worth up to three years, $30 million earning $10 million per season with the team. Tucker made seven million this past year with the Miami Heat and has a $7.3 million player option after signing a two-year, $14 million contract with Miami last summer.

The Heat faced the 76ers in the second round and eliminated Philly in six games. Tucker averaged 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds, on 52.5 percent from the field and 43.7 percent shooting from three.

The post REPORT: Rival Teams ‘Convinced’ PJ Tucker will Sign with Philadelphia appeared first on SLAM.

Per Tim Reynolds, Tucker’s decision was expected, but it’s “like Heat will fight to keep him.” Tucker also let it be known within the locker room that he would like to return to Miami.

P.J. Tucker deciding to opt out was 100% expected. This does not mean he’s leaving Miami, source reiterated to AP. It’s likely Heat will fight to keep him, and Tucker made clear to teammates when season ended that he would like to be back.

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) June 20, 2022

Tucker is coming off a solid season, which saw the 37-year-old shoot 41.5 percent from behind the arc and average 5.5 rebounds per game. One of the game’s most coveted role players, Tucker was a crucial cog in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2021 NBA title run and most recently helped Miami reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

A rugged defender who contributes on both ends of the court, Tucker played overseas for five years after a 17-game rookie season with Toronto in 2006. He returned to the NBA in 2012 and became a valued presence on multiple playoff teams. Tucker averaged 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game last season with the Heat.

If Tucker picked up his option with Miami, he would have received a $350,000 pay increase for next season. Instead, the veteran entering his 14th NBA season will test the free-agent market and likely look to join another contender.

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“It’s not a desirable job, man. Nobody wants to guard anybody. But from a competitive standpoint, I love the way I came into League, and I made myself in the League being that. It’s like, ‘Nobody wants to guard him. I got him,” Tucker said.

Tucker showcased his elite defense against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. While guarding James Harden, Tucker allowed him to score just five points all game, with the rest of Harden’s points coming from the line or against another Miami defender.

While Harden shot 66.7 percent against Tucker, he got only three shots up on him in four minutes and 42 seconds of action; the largest timeframe spent guarding the Beard by far in Game 1.

Tucker elaborated on the behind-the-scenes necessities it takes to be an effective defender:

“I got to study film. I got to study tendencies. I got to study everything. I got to know everybody on the floor. You got to talk. You got to be vocal. You got to be physical. You got to understand the game. You got to understand how games are being read.”

However, he believes defense takes more than just understanding the game and what your opponent wants to do. Using Draymond Green as an example, Tucker gave another golden requirement of being an elite defender:

“He’s [Draymond Green] one of the most competitive people in the League, but he does his job just as good if not better than anybody in the highest level, championship level. And that’s what it’s about for me. Being a defender’s being the most competitive person out there.”

Tucker and the Heat play Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the 76ers tonight at the FTX Arena.

The post PJ Tucker Shares What it Takes to be a Defensive Ace appeared first on SLAM.

According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, Tucker is drawing interest from several teams around the NBA this offseason.

In addition to his current team, franchises that Fischer has linked Tucker to include the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz, each team an NBA Finals contender when healthy.

Tucker will hit free agency following the end of the 2021 NBA Finals and, as a 36-year-old role player, it’s surprising for Tucker to have this much interest across the NBA on the surface. However, his locker room impact and notable defensive performances have allowed him to remain a hot commodity.

Acquired by Milwaukee prior to the trade deadline, Tucker has been instrumental in the Bucks playoff run, playing 29.5 minutes per game and starting 17 of the 21 contests.

The Bucks are currently tied 2-2 in the NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns, with Game 5 taking place on Saturday night in Phoenix.

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While this is an extraordinary accomplishment, as Milwaukee hasn’t been since 1974. However, they’re still focused on the end goal with one series remaining.

Bucks’ forward PJ Tucker spoke to ESPN’s Malika Andrews and the media after their Game 6 series-clinching win in the Eastern Conference Finals, saying while some teams have champagne showers and celebrations when they earn a trip to the Finals, Milwaukee did not. 

“We ain’t done nothing yet,” Tucker said.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals will take place on Tuesday. With the status of Giannis Antetokounmpo is still in question, the Bucks will still be competitive against the Suns, making for an exciting series regardless. 

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Throughout the Eastern Conference semifinals, PJ Tucker has resided on Kevin Durant’s hip. The tenacious forward has been blowing up any ball screen, post-up or isolation set designed for Durant to operate within.

Tucker and Durant are longtime friends off-the-court as their Texas Longhorns connection runs deep. However, when the two step out onto the court together, everything goes out the window.

While Durant posted 28 points in the Nets’ 96-107 loss to the Bucks on Sunday, he shot just 9-for-25 from the field and 1-8 from the 3-point line. As his primary defender, Tucker held Durant to 9 points and 25 percent shooting from the field.

That being said, Nets head coach Steve Nash had choice words for the way in which Milwaukee’s defensive enforcer has been guarding KD throughout the series.

“I thought it was borderline non-basketball physical at times, but that’s the playoffs,” Nash said.

What are your thoughts on PJ Tucker’s defense this series against Kevin Durant? pic.twitter.com/5b9Jr9BiYI

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 13, 2021

Throughout the game, Durant pleaded with officials about what he deemed to be excessive contact by Tucker.

Durant is universally recognized as one of the best scorers in the modern era, which gardeners a plethora of defensive attention, especially with 2018 NBA MVP James Harden in street clothes and the loss of seven-time All-Star Kyrie Irving (who went down with a sprained ankle late in the second quarter).

Tucker is averaging 3.4 personal fouls per game during the series and accumulated five while guarding Durant last night.

How many calls were missed is still up for debate.

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Harden dismisses the idea as something better left in the college basketball ranks:

“I don’t really care,” P.J. Tucker said. “It’s like cup stuff. The NBA, I doubt they’ll ever get to that. We play for an NBA championship. I don’t want to play for anything else. There is nothing else. It’s like a consolation? I don’t know. We play for an NBA championship, period.”

Rockets guard James Harden was even more dismissive of the idea. “Are we in college?” he said. “Is this college?”

Harden (34 points) and Rockets teammate Russell Westbrook (27 points) led the way as Houston snapped a three-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 117-108 win against the visiting Miami Heat.

Per The AP:

“When those two guys get going downhill it puts a lot of pressure on a lot of people which causes me to be open-open,” [Daniel] House said after scoring a career-high 23 points. “So thank you Russ and James.”

Harden said House is getting better at taking advantages of opportunities when teams double him.

“He works every single day on his shot,” Harden said. “Those opportunities are going to come for him and the more confident he gets the easier those shots will be.”

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Westbrook says the two dominant offensive machines are “great” at playing off the ball with one another.

Russ adds that he’ll bring a lot more to the table for the Rockets than just scoring and handling the rock.

Per The Athletic:

At the start of the offseason, Harden communicated to the front office that he liked the idea of playing with Westbrook, league sources told The Athletic.

“I think we play great off the ball with each other,” Westbrook told The Athletic.

“We’ve done it in Oklahoma City. Many times in Oklahoma City, James, he closed the game as the primary ball-handler, and I played off the ball. It’s totally fine for me because, like I have said before, offensively and scoring and having the ball in my hands is not the only thing I can do for the game. I do a lot of great things for the game and I look forward to doing that with this team as well.”

Team sources have expressed confidence in that Westbrook and Harden will both implement more off-ball movement into their games, particularly in a half-court setting, and were pleased with Westbrook’s comments during his introductory press conference.

Related James Harden: ‘I Know How to Play With Russ and He Knows How to Play With Me’

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“It’s time for my extension right now,” says the 34-year-old veteran forward.

Tucker adds that he’s confident the Rockets will smoothly transition from Chris Paul to newcomer Russell Westbrook next season.

Per The Athletic:

“We lost a great player, we got a great player,” Tucker said. “We got a lot of guys back. We still got a core of our team. You know, it is what it is. It’s the NBA, changes are made. All you do is look at yourself and your teammates, keep your eyes on the next season and try to go after it, so now I plan to do that this year.”

“I’ma do what I do, man. I’ll help Russ in any way I can. I’m gonna be one of the leaders on the team, (especially) defensively. I’m just gonna do me, I’m gonna do what I do every single night to the best of my ability.”

As far as his long-term future with Houston, both Tucker and the team want him to stick around. This season is the last fully guaranteed year he has on the four-year, $32 million deal he signed in 2016. With 2020-21 only partially guaranteed, Tucker wants his future sorted out sooner, rather than later.

“It’s now,” he said of getting a new deal done. “It’s time for my extension right now, so we’ll see. We’ll see what happens. I’m optimistic, we’ll see.”

Related PJ Tucker: Rockets ‘Were a Hamstring Away from Having a Championship’

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The veteran forward believes the NBA title race is “wide open this year.”

Tucker, 34, adds that he vehemently disagrees with the widely-held assumption that James Harden and new superstar Rockets teammate Russell Westbrook “can’t work together.”

Per The WaPo:

“I hate when people talk about certain guys and say they can’t work together,” Tucker said. “It may not work with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard [on the Los Angeles Clippers]. It may not work with Anthony Davis and LeBron James [on the Los Angeles Lakers]. It may not work with anybody.

“[Westbrook] is another super aggressive guy who can attack the rim and score the ball. That opens everything up for everyone else. [Harden and Westbrook] know each other’s games. They’ve played together when they were young, and they’re excited to play together again. If they’re excited, I’m excited.”

That trek left him appreciating what Houston accomplished with Harden and Paul rather than dwelling on the partnership’s abrupt ending.

“We were a hamstring away from having a championship,” Tucker said, referring to Paul’s ill-timed injury in the 2018 Western Conference finals against Golden State. “You can rate it how you want and say what you want, but it was a great run. We won a franchise-record [65 games in 2017-18]. The [decision to trade Paul] is something that’s over my pay grade. I just play.”

Related PJ Tucker: Houston Rockets Drama ‘Fake News’

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Tucker insists that co-stars James Harden and Chris Paul remain on the same page, and that everyone is focused on winning an elusive NBA championship.

The Rockets’ front-office, meanwhile, is reportedly shopping what seems like everyone on the roster but Harden with free agency looming.

Per The Athletic:

As a leader in the locker room, tell me about James and Chris. You can’t speak for them, but…

Tucker: “No, but I’m sick of the fake news man. It’s fake. Everybody – I argue with Chris and James more than Chris and James argue.”

Fine, but Game 6 (against the Warriors): How hot was it (afterward)?

Tucker: “It was what it was. Everybody’s mad. Everybody’s pissed. You can’t – I’m sick of all the highlight of whoever this person is trying to come up with all this crap, like I argue with Chris and James more than Chris and James argue with each other. Like, I’m the center, focal (point) of the argument because I’m always yelling at somebody and they’re yelling at me. So for me, it’s like ‘If you’re not arguing…’ You don’t think Kobe (Bryant) and Shaq (O’Neal) argued? Hakeem (Olajuwon) and…”

But that’s a tough comparison though, right? There’s a threshold there. Kobe and Shaq reached a point where it wouldn’t work anymore.

Tucker: “Nah, but guess what? They won championships together. Right? And that’s what people care about, right? That’s what we talking about, right? Nah, but we’re talking about winning championships, right? So that’s all that matters. To win a championship. That’s it. Nothing else matters. If we win a championship together and we fucking hate each other, then guess what? Who cares? (Laughs) Nobody. Right, so that’s all that matters. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Winning a championship. Everything else is failure.“

Related Chris Paul: ‘I Never Demanded a Trade’

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It’s a proverb that rings its truth every day in the NBA.

Players around the League stepped up their game in the tunnel this season, so we added on a third team. It’s important to recognize progress, too, so we also mixed in a most-improved award to show love to the hooper who stepped up his tunnel walk the most in 2018-2019.

Anyways, we can skip to what you’re here for: This year’s LeagueFits All-Drip Teams and Awards.

THIRD TEAM: Dwayne Bacon, Ben Simmons, Dennis Schroder, Jordan Clarkson, Serge Ibaka

Three players made their All-Drip debuts in Dwayne Bacon, Ben Simmons and Dennis Schroder.

SECOND TEAM: Terry Rozier, Tobias Harris, Kevin Love, Kyle Kuzma, Mike Scott

Kyle Kuzma built upon his Rookie of the Year award from a year ago by making the jump to the Second Team. Tobias Harris and Mike Scott also made their All-Drip debuts.

FIRST TEAM: Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Kelly Oubre, PJ Tucker, Shai GIlgeous-Alexander

No surprises here. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the first rookie in LeaugeFits history to make an All-Drip Team.

MOST-IMPROVED: Dennis Schroder

One time for the #EuroDrip icon.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

No one rook should have all this power.

MVP: Kelly Oubre

Waves never die.

—

Ian Pierno is an Associate Social Media Editor and Drip Director at SLAM. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter.

Pat Bonoan is a Graphic Designer at SLAM. Follow him on Instagram.

Photos via Getty Images.

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Harden and the Rockets are headed home for the summer, after being eliminated in six games by the two-time NBA defending champion Golden State Warriors.

“They just outplayed us,” concluded Chris Paul.

Per The Houston Chronicle :

“It always hurts, knowing that we had opportunities,” guard James Harden said. “Very, very frustrating. Going to let it sink in a little bit. Find ways to be better.

“We let a lot of opportunities slip away; opportunities in the last game, opportunities in Games 1 and 2. If you don’t take advantage of the opportunities, you end up on the losing side.”

That realization will anguish the Rockets as much as any of the ways they had come up short against the Warriors before. But by Friday’s finish the difference had become clear.

“There were times where we can make some big plays and got a little separated (but) just couldn’t make the big play,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “You know, a big shot or a big steal. They’re champions.

“This one’s going to leave a mark. This is not just something you get over. I’m definitely not going to get over it in this press conference or tomorrow or the next night. This one hurt. We didn’t play our best and to beat these guys, you have to play your best.”

Related Steve Kerr: Rockets ‘Got a Lot of Middle Linebackers on That Team’

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A couple of Nike Hyperdunk X PEs were also in play with Eric Bledsoe rocking a yellow based number and teammate Khris Middleton rocking a lowtop PE version in a more subdued black and green color scheme. Draymond Green broke a Warriors PE which featured a funky blue and yellow outsole.

Check out aforementioned Kyries and Hyperdunks along with P.J. Tucker’s “Carpe Diem” Nike Zoom Kobe IV Protros and more in our latest NBA Playoff kicks recap.

Photos via Getty Images

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Durant suffered a right calf strain Wednesday night in the Warriors’ 104-99 Game 5 win, which gave the two-time defending NBA champs a 3-2 series lead over the Rockets.

“We can all pretend and just say he’s doubtful,” Kerr said.

Per The Athletic:

“He’s not going to play Game 6,” Kerr told me late Wednesday. “We can all pretend and just say he’s doubtful. But he’s not playing Game 6.”

It’s likely that Durant won’t be on Thursday’s plane ride — why risk him aggravating the injury on a long flight if he’s not going to play? — and will get treatment in the Bay Area with an outside hope that he would be available in a potential Game 7 if the Warriors lose on Friday or Game 1 if they beat Houston and start up the Western Conference finals.

“Hopefully,” Kerr said, “we get Kevin back at some point.”

After they had won, celebrated a little and then wearily walked back into the locker room, the Warriors saw Durant and heard the relatively good news — it wasn’t an Achilles tear, but he was out indefinitely and almost certainly out for the next few games.

“He’s disappointed,” Kerr said at his press conference of Durant. “But he’s excited for our guys and for our victory.”

Related Stephen Curry: ‘We’ll Have to Claw Our Way to One More Win’

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Curry, who has faced criticism for his inconsistent play against the Rockets, says he is “liking the vibe” around his team.

Draymond Green adds that physicality has determined the outcome so far in the series.

Per The Athletic:

“That was totally different,” Curry said of the 2015 dinner at the Memphis barbecue joint that helped turnaround that Western Conference semifinal series with the Grizzlies. “We hadn’t proven anything to ourselves back then. We know who we are now.”

The dynasty is officially on notice.

“They’re doing whatever it takes to win,” Draymond Green said. “And not that they’re doing anything dirty or nothing like that, but they’re doing whatever it takes to win, and we’re just kind of rolling in there, and they’re slamming us. We just have to change our mindset and if we change our mindset, then we’ll be just fine. We haven’t these last two games. The first two games I think it was completely opposite. I think we were taking it to them and they weren’t really responding as far as physicality, and that’s the difference in the series. That’s why it’s 2-2.”

The only question now is whether the Warriors can get to their best, especially with these Rockets in the way.

“We’re tied together right now,” Curry said. “I’m liking the vibe.”

Related Steve Kerr: Rockets ‘Got a Lot of Middle Linebackers on That Team’

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Uncle Drew wasn’t the only one making sneaker waves last night as P.J. Tucker flexed with something old and something new. Tuck turned heads during shootaround when he took the floor wearing the upcoming “Orange Pulse” Nike Air Fear Of God 1. No official release for these have been announced, but a release this summer is expected. If pricing remains true to the original, then these should carry a box price of $350.

As for his something old, Tucker went with a vintage banger in the Nike Zoom Kobe VI “Barcelona” which, like many of Tuck’s gems, currently carries a hefty price tag on the secondary market.

Other notable kicks on the night included Kevin Durant’s Nike KD 12 which was inspired by notable 90s basketball movies Above the Rim and White Men Can’t Jump and Chris Paul’s Jordan CP3.XII which features inspirational words on the shoe’s heel from Eric Thomas, the Hip-Hop preacher.

Photos via Getty Images

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“They’ve got a lot of middle linebackers on that team,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters afterwards.

Kevin Durant, who finished with 34 points and 7 rebounds in the loss, says the Dubs are “excited” about Game 5 back on their home floor.

Per The AP:

“When you’re dealing with these guys, if you let Klay (Thompson) and Steph (Curry) run around and shoot 3s you don’t have no chance,” Harden said. “The only chance we have is to be in to their bodies and make every shot that they take contested.”

Golden State coach Steve Kerr was asked about the physical play of the Rockets, who have several players who are much stockier than his squad.

“They’ve got a lot of middle linebackers on that team,” he said. “They’re sturdy and we’re like volleyball players, long and lean … everybody tries to be physical with us because they should. That’s the best way to try to beat us.”

Eric Gordon added 20 points for Houston and P.J. Tucker had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

“We’ve got to be better,” Tucker said. “We’ve got to be more aggressive. We’ve got to pick it up.”

Related Kevin Durant: ‘No Lead is Safe’ vs. Houston

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James Harden scored a game-high 38 points, but it was the efforts of former overseas journeyman PJ Tucker (17 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, block) that pushed Houston to a game four win. Tucker’s plus-11 plus-minus led all players as he collected a handful of contested rebounds in the game’s final period that helped the Rockets preserve their lead.

Kevin Durant and Steph Curry combined for 64 points, but both missed open 3-point looks in the game’s final seconds that could’ve potentially sent things to overtime.

Houston’s lead was as high as 17 in the second half, but a late Golden State surge cut that lead down to two with 19.3 seconds to go.

Bucks 113, Celtics 191 (MIL leads 3-1)

Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 39 points, 16 rebounds and four dimes on 15-for-22 shooting as the Bucks controlled the game after taking the lead with 3:25 to go in the third quarter.

Pat Cannaughton was a plus-22 off the bench as he added nine points and 10 boards.

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We lead off in Boston where Uncle Drew debuted the “Galaxy” colorway of his Nike Kyrie 5. The shoe features an orange and purple upper with a wild multicolor outsole and speckled paint details throughout. Jayson Tatum got another wear out of his team colorway of the Nike Adapt BB and Marcus Morris stayed with LeBrons as he brought out the atmos colorway of the 16.

Kevin Durant played in his “University Red” Nike KD12, but prior to the game, KD did his shoot around in a clean new colorway of the silhouette. The latest 12 features grey tones with a fresh gradient Swoosh that pops off the neutral upper. Across the floor, Chris Paul debuted a new Jordan CP3.XII featuring a embroidered and printed slogans across the entire upper.

CP3’s teammate P.J. Tucker didn’t disappoint either as he brought out another “Aces” custom this time on the Nike Zoom Kobe IV Protro.

It was a pretty solid night of NBA playoff kicks so make sure you get caught up on the league’s best.

Photos via Getty Images

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James Harden led the way with 26 points as Houston polished off the Utah Jazz with a 100-93 victory in Game 5.

“To be the champion, you have to beat the champion,” Capela told reporters.

Per The Houston Chronicle:

“That’s what I want,” center Clint Capela said of facing Golden State again. “I want to face them.”

Hearing this, Rockets teammate Chris Paul groaned, smiled and said, “Oh man, he’s going to be all over Bleacher Report.” The guard then turned to the media and said, “You can’t wait to tweet that.”

Capela did not back down, however, saying, “To be the champion, you have to beat the champion.”

As much as the Warriors are still struggling with the Clippers (Los Angeles won 129-121 Wednesday night to take that series to a sixth game on Friday), the Rockets left little doubt of what they expect to be waiting for them when the second round begins.

“If they come out of it, it’s going to be a great series,” [Mike] D’Antoni said of the Warriors. “We said all year, ‘Let’s run it back.’ Well, OK. I guess we’re going to run it back.”

Related Clint Capela: Rockets ‘Are Better’ Than the Warriors

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Irving’s latest Nike Kyrie 5 was another tribute to Kobe and featured a snakeskin-like patterned upper along with a split logo on the heal featuring both his signature K.I. mark along with Kobe’s “Sheath” mark.

Tatum came out in a white-based colorway of the Nike Adapt BB with light green and black accents. Up to this point, the Adapt BB’s colorways have been limited to the original black colorway along with team colors on the heal so this latest iteration definitely turned heads.

Speaking of turning heads, PJ Tucker did just that with his pairs of KDs. Tuck came out in the vintage “Wanda Pratt” Nike Zoom KD4s and followed that with KD’s latest silhouette, the 12s, done in a red and white colorway with PJ’s initials on the heel.

Closing out, Langston Galloway continued his epic season of Q4 Specialist customs with another banger featuring character’s from Disney’s Aladdin.

Take a moment and peruse all the aforementioned kicks and a few more in our latest NBA playoff kicks recap.

Photos via Getty Images

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“There’s only one thing left,” according to general manager Daryl Morey.

Houston is healthy and excited heading into the postseason, and head coach Mike D’Antoni likes his team’s chances.

Per The Houston Chronicle:

“We all need to win a championship,” Paul said. “I need to win a championship. Tuck needs to win a championship. That was the case last year. We’re competing. We want to win for no other reason but just to win.”

Just one word, really, jumped out as the Rockets’ veteran guard spoke for such members of his team — which opens the playoffs Sunday against the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center — as James Harden and P.J. Tucker and, even without mentioning them, for coach Mike D’Antoni and general manager Daryl Morey.

“Obviously, we’re one of the more veteran teams in the league,” Morey said. “The team has won every award, set every record. There’s only one thing left. They are extremely aware of that.”

Paul has an expression he uses often, his answer to those who want to characterize and label him and the Rockets by what they have not accomplished. He uses it often when asked about the pursuit of a championship.

“The story is not the story until you win it,” he said.

Related Austin Rivers: ‘If We Play Defense Like That, We Can Win the Title’

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Out in Miami, Kyrie Irving led the Celts to a dub while rocking a new colorway of his Nike Kyrie 5 and Dwyane Wade flexed in a sunny pair of Li-Ning Way of Wade 7s.

The tributes for the late Nipsey Hussle continued with DeMar DeRozan, Danny Green and Rudy Gay honoring the legend with hand written commemorations on their sneakers.

Check out the rest of the League’s kicks in our latest gallery below.

Photos via Getty Images

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Austin Rivers says Houston believes it can win the NBA championship “if we play defense like that.”

James Harden, the reigning MVP and not exactly known for being a lockdown defender, added that “it’s not difficult at all” for his team to put the clamps on opponents.

Per ESPN:

“If we play defense like that, we can win the title,” guard Austin Rivers said. “That’s what we believe around here.”

The Rockets have had the NBA’s second-best defense since the All-Star break, posting a 105.3 defensive rating.

“It’s not difficult, it’s not difficult at all,” Harden said of producing consistent defensive efforts. “I think since the break we’ve been top five in defensive. We have the ability to do it. We just have to do it.”

The Rockets switch on defense constantly, but the Nuggets weren’t able to exploit any mismatch with Nikola Jokic on Harden. Harden, who finished with 38 points in 32 minutes, has always been an elite post defender, using his strength and size to hold off bigger players, and his excellent hands and instincts to be disruptive.

“James switches on all the bigs,” Chris Paul said. “Every night. He’s been doing that all season long so it ain’t no surprise for us.”

Related Austin Rivers Says He Can Guard Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson

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While DeRozan broke out an exclusive for Manu, PJ Tucker rocked one of DeRozan’s old PEs in Houston’s tilt with Denver. Tuck sported the red and white Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro along with a pair of the Nike Zoom Kobe 4 FTB. Since debuting his Jordan CP3.XII, Chris Paul has been wearing some pretty wild colorways and his latest pair followed that tune as it featured a two-tone white and volt upper with red accents.

Montrezl Harrell is finishing the regular season strong as he brought out another two pairs of vintage Bron lows as he donned the “Multicolor” Nike LeBron 11 and “Red Plum” Xs. Out in Miami, Derrick Jones Jr flexed with the “Easter” Nike Zoom KD 4 and Dwyane Wade wore a custom pair of his Li-Ning Way of Wade 7.

Make sure to scroll through our latest NBA sneakers’ recap located right below.

Photos via Getty Images

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Like we’ve often done, we’ll start off with the League’s premier footwear kings, Montrezl Harrell and P.J. Tucker. Trezz went double-duty with a pair of the Air Jordan VII Retro “Marvin the Martian” and the funky Nike LeBron 11 EXT “King’s Crown.” For Tuck, another one of his March Madness favorites was on his feet, as he donned the classic Nike Air Force Max 93.

Nike Hyperdunks were once again a prominent wear and Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with two custom Hyperdunk X bangers including a Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 themed pair. Justin Jackson used his Hyperdunk X Lows to call attention to World Down Syndrome Day and Kevin Love wore a fresh pair of PEs that tied back to the Cavs’ City uniforms. On the vintage tip, Josh Richardson took it back with the “Puerto Rico” edition of the Hyperdunk ’08.

Plenty of newer looks were also on display as Jayson Tatum came with a new colorway of the Nike Adapt BB, Kyle Kuzma rocked a Lakers’ colorway of the Nike Zoom Kobe 4 Protro, LeBron James went with another PE model of his LeBron 16s and Greg Monroe came with the “Cactus Jack” Air Jordan XXXIII.

With all of Tuesday’s heat rock around the League, make sure you get caught up on all the sneaker action below.

Photos via Getty Images

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The Nike LeBron models was also quite a hit Sunday night with no less than five colorways seeing the hardwood. Mason Plumlee donned the “Equality” 16 model, Malik Beasley rocked the “Orange Box” 15, Torrey Craig brought the “SuperBron” 16 and Montrezl Harrell wore the “King” 16 in addition to the “What The” LeBron 11. Rounding out the parade of 16s was the king himself as LeBron James wore an all-white colorway.

Other kicks of note included P.J. Tucker wearing another of his favorite March Madness sneakers in the Nike Air Max 2 Uptempo 94 OG, DeMar DeRozan in another new colorway of the Nike Zoom Kobe 4 Proto and Kawhi Leonard steppong out in a new colorway of his New Balance signature, the OMN1S, which features a flip of the Jurassic Park logo.

Sunday was a pretty dope night in kicks so if you missed any of the action make sure you check our gallery below.

Photos via Getty Images

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Pink was the theme for evening for Wes Iwundu and Derrick Jones Jr. as Iwundu wore an all-pink version of the Under Armour Antamoix Spawn 2019 while Jones Jr. took it back a bit a few years with the “Aunt Pearl” Nike KD V.

Also starring on the footwear stage Monday night were Luka Doncic’s custom “Dragon Ball Z” Nike PG 2.5, Dwyane Wade’s wild Li-Ning Way of Wade 7 and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot’s sick yellow and black Nike PG2s.

Check out the rest of the night’s NBA kicks right below.

Photos via Getty Images

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Bam Adebayo wore those sick futuristic-looking Nike Zoom Kobe IV Protros, but DeMar DeRozan showed why he’s the top Kobe collector in the League as he broke out the latest colorway in that style which featured an all-black base with bright contrasting color pops. Fellow Kobe aficionados Allonzo Trier and Tobias Harris wore vintage models. Iso Zo went with the Nike Zoom Kobe VI ASG “Orange County” and Harris donned the “Big Stage” Nike Zoom Kobe V.

In the evening’s craziest kicks, Jimmy Butler came with another sick pair of the Jordan Supreme Elevation as he donned an orange and green number in the 76ers win. Dwyane Wade went with a new Li-Ning Way of Wade 7 colorway which featured a leopard print over a multicolored upper.

Closing out, our P.J. Tucker sneaker watch continues and the League’s sneaker king showed pride in his alma mater as he wore a pair of “Texas Longhorns” Nike Zoom KD4 PEs.

Check out the rest of the league’s footwear game in our recap below.

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His name may not be synonymous with the League’s biggest sneakerheads, but Sam Dekker arguably had the sneaker of the night as he rocked the “Arthur” Nike Zoom LeBron Soldier XII. On the topic of the League’s biggest sneakerheads, it looks like P.J. Tucker almost had a sneaker malfunction in the vintage “Gold Medal” Nike Zoom Kobe 4 and Montrezl Harrell got in the St. Patrick’s Day mood early with a pair of the And1 Tai Chi Remix.

Make sure to check out the rest of the night’s best NBA kicks in our gallery below.

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In OKC, the Thunder’s superstar duo of Russell Westbrook and Paul George both notched triple-doubles in their signature models with the Brodie breaking out a black/red/elephant print Jordan Why Not Zer0.2 and PG hooping in another PE colorway of his new Nike PG3.

Malik Beasley has been rocking some gems this season and his latest wear didn’t disappoint as he rocked the KITH x Nike LeBron 15 “Closing Ceremony” while Langston Galloway continued with his cartoon tributes as he brought out a Rocket Power-themed Q4 Sports Specialist.

Peep all the kicks we just talked about along with the rest of the night’s sneaker heat in our recap below.

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D’Angelo Russell took the floor in Brooklyn rocking the BHM edition of the Nike PG 2.5, De’Aaron Fox gave his Kobes a rest in favor of a pair of vintage Nike Zoom KD IV “BHM” and Omari Spellman was one of several players wearing the Nike Hyperdunk X Low “BHM.” Kelly Oubre Jr. paid homage to jazz legend Louis Armstrong with a custom pair of the Nike Kobe A.D. Exodus while Josh Jackson honored African-American inventor Garrett Morgan, whose contributions included the gas mask and the traffic light, which Jackson portrayed on his custom Under Armour HOVR Havoc Low.

Other notable kicks on the evening included P.J. Tucker’s “ASG” Nike Zoom Kobe 3 and “Ohio State” PE Nike LeBron 15s, Taurean Prince’s PSNY x Air Jordan XII Retro, and sick NikeiD jawns in Stanley Johnson’s Kyrie 5s and Solomon Hill’s PG 2s.

Check out the rest of Monday’s best NBA footwork in our gallery below.

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OKC had several of the night’s best joints as Paul George gave his “NASA” Nike PG3s proper exposure with a big-time performance against the Bucks which included a thunderous dunk over the “Greek Freak” while Russell Westbrook debuted another multicolored iteration of his newest model, the Jordan Why Not Zer0.2. Dennis Schroder went with a vintage KD model as he rocked the “Liger” colorway of the Nike KD 6.

Speaking of KDs, Michael Beasley got another wear out of the same silhouette as he rocked the N7 edition and Trezz went even further back with his two pairs of KDs as he rocked the “Home” 3s and the “Gold Medal” KD 7 PRMs.

Kobes are always part of our daily recaps and Sunday was no different with a solid selection hitting the hardwood. Tobias Harris donned the “Pit Viper” Nike Kobe 8 System, Kelly Oubre Jr. went with the “Galaxy” Zoom 7s, De’Aaron Fox rocked the Nike Kobe 9 KRM EXT, Buddy Hield brought out the “Pain” Xs and P.J. Tucker wore the “Del Sol” Zoom 6 along with the Nike Air Max LeBron 7 “Hardwood Classic.”

Sunday’s NBA kicks were not to be missed so if you did, do yourself a solid and peep the League’s latest sneaker stunts.

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The Mecca saw P.J. Tucker square off against Allonzo Trier and both rocked some serious bangers. Tuck took the floor during warms up in another crazy exclusive as he donned the Air Jordan IV Retro “Sooners” PE. Showing his loyalty to his alma mater, Tuck playfully covered up the OU logos on the tongues with Texas’ UT and “Hook ‘Em” slogan before switching up to the Nike Zoom LeBron 3 “Superman.” Not to be outdone, Iso Zo rocked his own heater in the 2010 Nike Zoom Kobe V “Big Stage,” which Tucker also rocked just a few weeks ago.

Out in South Beach, Montrezl Harrell showed he was still in the holiday spirit as he brought out the “Christmas” Nike LeBron 9 as well as the Nike Zoom Kobe VI Supreme “Chaos.” For Miami, Josh Richardson played in a lesser known LeBron as he hit the hardwood in the Nike LeBron Witness III.

Trey Lyles and DeMar DeRozan easily have two of the sickest Kobe collections in the League and both continued to show their fandom of the line with Lyles bringing out the Nike Zoom Kobe IV Prelude while Deebo went with the Nike Zoom Kobe I Protro. Also getting in on the Kobe action was Chandler Hutchinson and Jonathon Simmons, who both wore the Nike Kobe 9 Elite with Hutch playing in the FTB and Simmons in the “What The” respectively.

There was quite an array of kicks on display around the League so if you missed out on any of the action, make sure you peep our recap below.

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This year’s motif features traditional African patterns across all models. Paul George got things started with a 31-point performance at Madison Square Garden in his “BHM” Nike PG3 while Russell Westbrook and Tim Hardaway Jr. showcased “Equality” colorways of the Jordan Why Not Zer0.2 and Jordan Jumpman Hustle, respectively. In Boston Kyrie Irving rocked his “BHM” Nike Kyrie 5 en route to a 25-point performance and a career-high eight steals to lead Boston to a victory over Miami. The Grizzlies tandem of Marc Gasol and  Jaren Jackson Jr. wore the High and Low models of the BHM Nike Hyperdunk X out in Memphis.

Langston Galloway donned another custom and his latest Q4 Sports Specialist paid homage to Dr. King with portraits of the man himself and his words painted prominently on the shoes.

P.J. Tucker continued to serve notice that his sneaker game is second to none as he brought out the “Superman” Nike LeBron 3 and an insane pair of custom Air Jordan IIIs made by The Shoe Surgeon.

Make sure to get caught up on the rest of MLK Day’s best NBA kicks with a quick scroll of our latest gallery below.

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Wednesday night saw the Swoosh debut its self-lacing Nike Adapt BB on the feet of two of the game’s rising stars, Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic. According to Nike’s presser, the foot can expand as much as a half-size during the course of the game so the shoe has been designed to allow the wearer to adjust the fit quickly either manually or via smartphone. Both players wore the initial “Black/White/Pure Platinum” colorway and fans can get their hands on the Adapt BB beginning on February 17. Retail for the futuristic model is set at $350.

In addition to the Adapt BB, Luka Doncic went in his bag and rocked two more pairs of Nikes as he went with the “Taco” Nike Kyrie 5 and the all-blue Nike PG 2. P.J. Tucker and Montrezl Harrell are both known for wearing multiple pairs in a game and both did it again with Tuck busting out the Sole Collector x Nike Air Penny 2 and another one of his own Nike Hyperdunk X Low PEs. Trezz went the KD rout bringing out the “Wheat” Nike KD VI EXT and the Nike Zoom KD V Elite.

During shoot around last night, DeMarus Cousins was spotted wearing his own Puma Clyde Court Disrupt PE with the tagline, “THE MARATHON CONTINUES” printed on the back heel. In Dallas, “King of Kobes” DeMar DeRozan wore another coveted model as he hit the hardwood in the “Mamba Day” Nike Kobe 11 Elite. And on the topic of Kobes, a bevy of of the A.D. Exodus was on display once again which you can see in below in our latest recap.

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P.J. Tucker was on his Jordan wave as he brought out the sick “Florida Gators” Air Jordan IV Retro PEs along with the more attainable classic, the Air Jordan VII Retro “Hare.”  Out in Los Angeles, Michael Beasley continued to rep his homie Kevin Durant as he rocked a classic KD colorway, the Nike KD6 “N7” from 2013.

Rookies also showed out on Sunday night with Luka Doncic filling up the stat sheet in an all-blue pair of Nike PG2s and Kevin Knox in his “Knicks” Puma Court Clyde Disrupt PE.

The rest of Sunday’s best NBA kicks is a quick scroll right below.

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Jimmy Butler took it back a couple of years and brought out the Air Jordan XXX “Cosmos” which released back in 2016. Also rocking with an older pair of Jordans was Chris Paul as he took in the action in the 2015  Air Jordan I Retro Pinnacle. Paul’s teammate P.J. Tucker continued to stoke the flames of his godly sneaker collection has he brought out a rare Nike Zoom Kobe VI PE as well as the “Lightning” Air Jordan IV Retro.

In Chicago, Cristiano Felicio took a page out of teammate Lauri Markkanen’s LeBron playbook and donned the Nike LeBron 10 XDR “Floridian.” Speaking of the king, LeBron James took in the Lakers game rocking the funky A-COLD-WALL* x Nike Zoom Vomero +5. On the custom front, Langston Galloway and Spencer Dinwiddie whipped out another set of sick creations with Galloway going with a Scooby Doo themed Q4 Sports Specialist while Dinwiddie paid homage to the baseball legend Jackie Robinson with his K8IROS Kronos.

And if all that wasn’t enough, DeMar DeRozan wore the Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro “81 Point Game” which is slated to release this January 22nd.

Peep the rest of the night in NBA kicks right below.

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On the night of the College Football National Championship, P.J. Tucker brought out an obscure, but appropriate, pair of Kobes as he rocked in the white colorway of the Nike Zoom Kobe V “Big Stage.” DeMar DeRozan filled up the stat sheet in the tough black/white Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro and the Bucks duo of Eric Gordon and Khris Middleton were back at it with their sick team colorways of the Nike Zoom LeBron Soldier XII and the Nike Hyperdunk X Low.

Peep the rest of Monday night’s NBA sneaker action in our latest recap below.

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P.J. Tucker donned the Nike Zoom KD 4 “Weatherman” to headline the final night of NBA kicks in 2018. Russell Westbrook dropped a triple-double while rocking a pair of neon pink Jordan Why Not Zer0.1s while Jerami Grant continued with his carousel of Air Jordan Retros as he brought out the “Olympic” VIIs. Kyrie Irving showcased a new colorway of his Nike Kyrie 5 as well as another wear of the “Ikhet” Concepts collaboration.

With many of you celebrating New Year’s, there’s a good chance you missed out on last night’s action so make sure to get caught up with our gallery below. And of course, a happy and prosperous New Year to you all.

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After making headlines on Christmas Day with his “Stewie” Nike LeBron 6s, P.J. Tucker was back with another insane flex as he brought out the 2008 Nike Hyperdunk Supreme “Barcelona Ronaldinho.” Allonzo Trier, the current front runner for the NBA rookie sneaker crown, stayed in the holiday spirit as he rocked the Nike Zoom Kobe 8 “Christmas,” which originally released back in 2012.

Lance Stephenson showed South Florida some love as he donned the “Miami Dolphins” Nike Air Max Penny V while Courtney Lee kept the tropical vibes going with “The Academy” Nike PG 2. De’Aaron Fox welcomed the Lakers to town in the Lake Show’s team colored “Court Purple” Nike Kobe 9 Elite while Terry Rozier visited Houston while rocking a new colorway of the Puma Court Clyde Disrupt in a Rockets friendly color of black/red.

Peep the recap below and let us know your opinion on who had the best kicks in the comments.

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Middleton wasn’t the only one wearing an exclusive Hyperdunk X Monday night. P.J. Tucker debuted his second PE colorway of the Hyperdunk X which was done in all-red with black accents and Tuck’s “PJ17” logo printed on the back heel. Sticking with the red/black color theme, Jimmy Butler wore the XXXs for the second night in a row as he donned the “Gym Red” edition while Lauri Markkanen went with the Nike LeBron 10s once again as he rocked the “Heat Away” version.

Several other bangers were spotted on the evening so make sure you check them out in our Monday night NBA kicks recap below.

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Jeff Teague has always had a solid sneaker game, but as the T-Wolves welcomed the Rockets and the sneaker king P.J. Tucker, it appears Teague went extra hard as he donned a trifecta of heaters. In pre-game, Teague shot around in the Nike Zoom LeBron II then took the floor in his familiar Nike Air Zoom Generation Retro before finishing up in the Nike Zoom Kobe 6 Prelude. Tucker went with a vintage KD model as he brought out the Nike Zoom KD II Supreme “All-Star” from 2010.

Other footwear highlights on the evening included Stanley Johnson going the vintage KD route as well as he wore the “Scoring Title” Nike Zoom KD IV, Markieff Morris got spicy in the “Habanero” Nike Air Foamposite One, John Collins went with the BAPE x adidas Dame 4 and both Montrezl Harrell and Jerami Grant both took the floor in the Air Jordan VI Retro with Grant rocking the “Tinker” edition and Trezz in a “Kids Next Door” custom.

With close to 40 kicks from last night’s NBA games, you won’t want to miss out on our latest recap below.

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We begin in Los Angeles where Montrezl Harrell flexed in a pair of custom Air Jordan XII Retros featuring a dope Kaws themed design. Harrell followed that up with a pair of the “Golden Harvest” Air Jordan XXXII Low. Teammate Tobias Harris went with the Kobe route as he rocked the Nike Zoom Kobe 3 FTB.

NBA sneaker king P.J. Tucker went hardbody again as he brought out a pair of Penny Hardaway’s PE Nike Zoom Huarache 2K4s as well as the 2017 Nike Hyperdunk React Low PEs which were designed for last season’s NBA All-Star Weekend. Despite being sidelined with an injury, Chris Paul still managed to stunt as he rocked the “Tattoo” Air Jordan IV Retro.

On the adidas tip, Taurean Prince went retro as he rocked the adidas Crazy 2.

Last but not least, Giannis Antentokounmpo debuted a new bright orange colorway of the Nike Kobe A.D. Exodus and Jae Crowder wore another eye-catching colorway of the same silhouette. Make sure to check these kicks out and more in our gallery below.

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Tuck delighted sneakerheads as he rocked the much beloved and coveted Nike Zoom KD 4 “Nerf.” Not to be outdone, Kelly Oubre Jr. lived up to his “Wave Papi” nickname as he brought out a pair of tsunami-themed custom Air Jordan XV Retros. DeMar DeRozan continued to bear the Kobe torch as he wore the Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro “Mamba Day” while Jeff Teague paid a visit to Cleveland while rocking the “Wheat” Nike Air Zoom Generation Retro.

For those that may not have known, Fila is back in the League as Orlando’s D.J. Augustin has been rocking the brand this season. Last night, Augustin took the floor in what appears to be a hybrid of the Fila Spaghetti – Jerry Stackhouse’s first signature model – and the Fila 95, Grant Hill’s debut model.

Peep the rest of the footwear action from last night’s games in our recap below.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BqQAimEFmRz/

Russell Westbrook made the Top 5 for the third consecutive week, coming in at second place with a cozy Honor the Gift (his own brand) fit and Jordan Concord XI kicks.

Jimmy Butler made a solid first impression in his first game in Philadelphia as he sported Kenzo and and a Saint Laurent jacket, landing himself on the Top 5 rankings for the second consecutive week. Kelly Oubre (No. 3) and Patty Mills (No. 5) joined Paul as players to make their Top 5 debuts.

Hamidou Diallo was the only rookie featured this week, joining Mo Bamba, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Allonzo Trier and Luka Doncic as first-year players to be featured through the first month of the season.

John Wall, Dennis Schroder, Mike Conley, Kelly Oubre, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma each earned multiple mentions.

Last week ran from Nov. 9 until Nov. 17.

—

To keep up with the NBA’s Survival of the Fitted, follow @LeagueFits on Instagram and Twitter 

Ian Pierno is a Social Editor for SLAM. Follow him on Twitter at @IanPierno

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P.J. Tucker wore the “Desert Sand” Air Jordan XVI Retro which debuted back in 2016, Victor Oladipo debuted an olive green/black colorway of the Jordan Jumpman Hustle and Damian Lillard donned a khaki digi-camo version of his adidas Dame 4. On the custom front, Langston Galloway rocked a truly patriotic pair of the Q4 Sports 495 Lo and Kevin Knox hit the floor in a pair of military green Puma Clyde Court Disrupts.

Vince Carter brought the past to the present as he debuted the Nike Shox BB4 Retros. As we reported earlier, Carter will be wearing the Shox BB4 for the remainder of the season with a release to follow at some point in 2019. Carter’s teammate Tauren Prince had the night’s most impressive set of kicks as he went with both a pair of Nike Kobe 8 FTB and the Nike Zoom Kobe 3 Prelude.

Peep the rest of Sunday’s NBA kicks below and to all of our Veterans, thank you for your service.

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Kyries were big on Monday night with Kyrie Irving debuting another camo colorway of his latest signature model. Teammate Jayson Tatum wore some Duke-flavored 4s, while the Magic’s Jonathon Simmons also went with the 4s as he brought out a slick black/silver pair.

Paul George rocked a pair of  “Creamsicle” Nike PG 2.5 PEs before changing out to a different flavor and Allonzo “Iso Zo” Trier continued his flex as he once again wore the Nike Zoom Kobe 6 Supreme “Chaos” and the “What The” Nike LeBron 11 Premium. Peep these kicks and more with a 40 sneaker recap of some of Monday’s best NBA kicks.

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Reigning NBA Sneaker King P.J. Tucker came correct as usual donning two sick exclusives as he brought out the “Drew League” Nike Hyperdunk 2017 Low and went even harder with a Nike LeBron 8 V/2 Diana Taurasi All-Star PE. In Cleveland, Taurean Prince once again showed how serious he is about competing for that crown as he donned the mismatched Nike LeBron 15 “Equality” and the “Flight Suit” Air Jordan V Retro. In OKC, Montrezl Harrell stole the sneaker thunder as he came out of nowhere with a pair of blue Reebok Pump D-Times.

In addition to all the aforementioned bangers, Tuesday night also saw players rocking the “Trophy Room” Air Jordan XX3s, “Green Lobster” Nike Kyrie 4s, Nike Zoom Kobe 7 “Galaxy,” Air Jordan IX Retro “Olives” and in the spirit of Halloween, a sick pair of custom “Chucky” Q4 Sports 495 Lows.

Find out who wore what as we’ve got over 40 of the night’s best NBA kicks ready for you in the gallery below.

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Kyle Kuzma, last year’s All-Drip Rookie of the Year, made an appearance in the “Best of the Rest” with All-Drip Second Team member and #DadDrip king LeBron James.

The Washington Wizards (John Wall, Kelly Oubre Jr., Green) and the Los Angeles Lakers (James, Kuzma, Michael Beasley) had the most players on this week’s Fits of the Week, with each squad having three representatives.

—

To keep up with the NBA’s Survival of the Fitted, follow @LeagueFits on Instagram 

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LeBron James had the evening’s most notable PE pair as he brought out an all-purple colorway of his Nike LeBron 16 while P.J. Tucker continued his assault on another NBA “Sneaker King” title with the Nike Zoom KD2 “Scoring Title.” A couple of rookies are showing their kick games are on point with Luka Doncic sporting another fresh NikeiD Kobe AD Exodus, Allonzo Trier lacing up the Nike LeBron 8 V2 Low “Sprite” and Jaren Jackson Jr. rocking “The Academy” Nike Zoom KD 11.

We highlighted 35 of the night’s best NBA kicks so make sure you take a moment and rifle through the gallery below.

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Keep up with Tucker’s #GreatFeets with the list below. How many new joints can he play in this season?

Related
All 106 Pairs of Sneakers That PJ Tucker Played in Throughout the 2017-18 Season

Illustration by Andy J. Han, photos courtesy of Getty Images

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Tucker wasn’t the only one snapping last night. There was tons of nonsense happening all around the League. Multiple Kobe 9s were seen, several custom colorways made their debuts and the tunnel was the runway in a BIG way. Scroll down to see all of the action.

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“I have a clearer understanding of what my role is,” Anthony says.

Carmelo Anthony adjusts to role off the Rockets bench https://t.co/Ccoh1EUZdt

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) October 16, 2018

Melo, 34, was a sixth man in the Rockets’ final three preseason games.

Per the Houston Chronicle:

“It’s hard. I haven’t even got myself mentally prepared to think like that,” Anthony said about the possibility of winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. “It’s even hard to think like that now. If it happens, it happens. This is a long season. All types of ups and downs are going to happen through the course of the season. If it happens, I guess everybody was a genius, then.

“Ask me in March. I’ll probably have a different answer for you.”

Anthony came off the bench in the Rockets final three preseason games when P.J. Tucker, the starter at power forward, returned from his sore back. Anthony has generally checked in to replace Tucker roughly four minutes into each half. That has meant long stretches that include time when Tucker returned to the floor as a backup center.

“It’s an adjustment, more so a mental adjustment than a physical adjustment,” Anthony said. “That would be the most … challenging part, shifting your mindset, shifting the way you approach the beginning of the game. The approach to the game is pretty much the same, but you’re three, four minutes behind now.

“It (the long stretches that come with playing starter minutes off the bench) is a physical adjustment, but I think I’m in pretty decent shape to be able to handle that. It’s something we’ve been working towards in this off-season and this pre-season, playing that way. It is adjustment for me mentally. For everybody it’s an adjustment. It’s something new. For the most part, I think we will all enjoy it.”

Related
Chris Paul: ‘The Disrespect That Comes at [Carmelo Anthony] is Unbelievable’

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KICKS 21 is “The List Issue.” Over the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing rankings that put an end (or beginning) to every hot debate in the world of sneakers. 

Order your copy of the magazine at our online store!

—

The throne is unattainable as long as PJ Tucker is around. The collection is unquestionable and Tucker’s reign as the NBA’s Sneaker King is indisputable. He brought 106 different pairs to the hardwood last season, flexing with rare heat. Rip Hamilton and Diana Taurasi PEs, multiple Kobe 4 colorways, a custom pair of Off-White Hyperdunks. He was the first player to wear the “Cactus Jack” Air Jordan IV on-court.

Tucker’s the Beethoven of Sneakers. The Christopher Columbus of finding exclusive colorways. He’s the Michael Jordan of wearing Jordans.

Peep every pair of kicks he wore last season below.

1. Nike LeBron 10 “Red/Gold”

2. Nike Kobe 6 “ASG”

3. Nike LeBron 9 “Christmas”

4. Nike LeBron 15 “Ghost”

5. Nike Kobe 6 “FTB”

6. Air Jordan IX “25th Anniversary”

7. Air Jordan VIII “Rip Hamilton”

8. Air Jordan VII “BIN23”

9. Nike Kobe AD “Red/Black”

10. Air Jordan IX “Motorboat Jones”

11. Nike Kobe AD Mid “White/Red/Black”

12. Air Jordan X “CDP”

13. Air Jordan XVI “Bred”

14. Nike Kobe 6 “3D”

15. Air Jordan IX “Charcoal”

16. Off-White Nike Hyperdunk 2017

17. Nike Air Yeezy 2 “Solar Red”

18. Air Jordan XIII “Bred”

19. Air Jordan X “OVO”

20. Air Jordan XI “Win Like ’96”

21. Off-White Air Jordan I “Chicago”

22. Nike Kobe 5 “Aston Martin”

23. Air Jordan XX3

24. Nike LeBron 4

25. Nike Kobe AD “White/Red/Black”

26. Nike Hyperdunk “Aston Martin”

27. Air Jordan XIV “Ducks”

28. Nike LeBron 10 Low “Championship Pack”

29. Air Jordan X “PSNY”

30. Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low

31. Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low “Bred”

32. Nike Kobe 7 “BHM”

33. Air Jordan X “DB”

34. Nike Kobe 4 “Philly”

35. Air Jordan XIII “Grey Toe”

36. Nike Kobe 4 “Gold Medal”

37. Nike Kobe 4 “MLK”

38. Nike Kobe 4 “FTB”

39. Air Jordan II “Rip Hamilton”

40. Air Jordan X “Chicago”

41. Air Jordan XX3 “Chicago”

42. Air Jordan XIV “Candy Cane”

43. Nike Kobe AD Mid “Black/White”

44. Air Jordan IV “Fire Red”

45. Nike Air Zoom Generation “King’s First”

46. Air Jordan XXX2 “Rossa Corsa”

47. Air Jordan XII “PSNY”

48. Air Jordan IX Low “JBC”

49. Nike KD5 “Gold/Red”

50. Air Jordan III “Legends of the Summer”

51. Air Jordan III “DB”

52. Air Jordan X “Steve Wiebe”

53. Air Jordan III “JTH”

54. Air Jordan II “White/Red”

55. Nike LeBron 10 “Red Suede”

56. Air Jordan III “Tinker”

57. Nike Run the One “JH” PE

58. Nike Air Penny IV “White/Red”

59. Air Jordan VII “Miro”

60. Nike LeBron 7 “Diana Taurasi”

61. Nike Kobe 6 “Barcelona”

62. Jordan 6 Rings “White/Red”

63. LeBron 7 “Cav Fanatic”

64. Air Jordan VII “Year of the Rabbit”

65. Nike Air Yeezy 2 “Red October”

66. Nike Air Penny 3

67. Nike LeBron 20-5-5 “Red/Silver”

68. Air Jordan III “Hoyas”

69. Nike Kobe 5 “Bruce Lee x Aces”

70. Nike LeBron 3 “Bred”

71. Air Jordan X “I’m Back”

72. Nike LeBron 6 “Big Apple”

73. Nike LeBron 6 “Business”

74. Air Jordan XXX1 Low “Black/Gold”

75. Air Jordan III “Black Cement”

76. Air Jordan III “Golden Eagles”

77. Air Jordan X “Cherry”

78. Air Jordan VI “DB”

79. Nike Air Trainer SC High “Triple Red”

80. Air Jordan V “Toro Bravo”

81. Nike Air Max CB 94 “Air Derrty”

82. Nike LeBron 15 “White/Red/Black”

83. Nike LeBron 3 “Houston Oilers”

84. Air Jordan II “Candy Pack”

85. Air Jordan III “Stealth”

86. Nike LeBron 3 Low “4 Horsemen”

87. Air Jordan IV “Cactus Jack”

88. Air Jordan XIII “Playoff”

89. Air Jordan XI “Aces”

90. Nike Air Maestro II “Red/Black”

91. Nike LeBron 12 Low “White/Silver/Red”

92. Air Jordan X “Dark Shadow”

93. Air Jordan XXX2 “JBC”

94. Nike Kyrie 1 “Warhawk”

95. Air Jordan V “Ducks”

96. Nike Kyrie 4 “CNY”

97. Nike KD6 “Preheat”

98. Nike LeBron 8 “Bred”

99. Nike Kobe 3 “Westchester”

100. Nike LeBron 15 “Buckeyes”

101. Nike Kyrie 4 “Yellow Lobster”

102. Off-White Nike Hyperdunk 2017 “All Red”

103. Nike Kobe 5 “FTB”

104. Nike LeBron 15 “Ducks”

105. Nike LeBron 15 “Ducks/Green”

106. Nike Kobe 4 “Del Sol”

Other lists from KICKS 21:
The 8 Hottest KICKS of 2018 (So Far)
The 15 Best UA Colorways of 2017-18
The 15 Best LeBron 15 Colorways of 2017-18
The WNBA’s 25 Biggest Sneakerheads
Three Reasons Why Kyrie Irving’s Signature Sneaker Line Is Important

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Tucker says Anthony won’t have to worry about scoring as much as he has in the past.

PJ Tucker on how Carmelo Anthony fits with the #Rockets: “Everybody always talks about Melo this, Melo that. Melo is a great basketball player. He’s an all time great scorer in this league. Coming to a team where we score a lot, he’ll fit right in on our team.”

— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) August 22, 2018

Tucker adds that Chris Paul will make Melo’s life a whole lot easier.

“It’s easy to play for Chris Paul, it’s not hard. I do not know anyone who said they could not play with Chris Paul. I think Melo will fall right in. He literally comes out of timeouts and tells you where to go. And it works every time.”

— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) August 22, 2018

Related
Nene: Carmelo Anthony Still a ‘Top-10 Player in the League’

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Meet the first-ever SLAM @LeagueFits All-Drip Teams and Rookie of the Year, a group of 11 players that were built for the Survival of the Fitted.

All-Drip First Team

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

The Brodie made a career for himself with his fearless attitude on the court, and his attitude in fashion isn’t much different. The League’s most versatile dresser, Russ isn’t afraid to make jaws drop on any given night.

Nick Young, Golden State Warriors 

Swaggy P became Swaggy Champ as he won his first-ever NBA Finals with Golden State, but he kept it straight Hollywood with the fits. In addition to wearing top-shelf names like Saint Laurent, Supreme and Rhude Designs, Swaggy gets bonus points for dropping a new collection of jawnz on his own line, Most Hated Los Angeles.

PJ Tucker, Houston Rockets

PJ Tucker’s career made stops in Israel, Greece, Italy, Puerto Rico, Canada and Germany before he became a Houston Rocket. With an international influence playing a role in his drip, the NBA’s undisputed sneaker king joined the upper echelon of all-time fit icons, too.

Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves

Jimmy loves his patterns, and it shows. Never afraid to be bold, Butler was one of the League’s most coordinated dressers during his first year in Minnesota.

LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron is way cooler than your dad. Year 15 was a legendary one for the King off the court just as much as it was on the hardwood. James mixed things up, rocking streetwear brands like Billionaire Boys Club, top-flight designed suits from Thom Browne (shouts out to the suit shorts) and up-and-coming Scholastics. Dad Drip at its finest.

All-Drip Second Team

James Harden, Houston Rockets

Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, Maison Valentino, Y-3, Raf Simons, Versace, Vetements, etc. The Beard rocked the League’s deepest designer wardrobe as he led the Rockets to a franchise-best 65 wins.

Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers/Cleveland Cavaliers

JC made the jump from Los Angeles to Cleveland at the trade deadline, but the youngin’ brought the West Coast streetwear style with him to the midwest. Already one of the League’s Supreme kings, Clarkson mixed things up with Off-White, Rhude Designs and Gucci.

Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors 

Simple and steezy, Serge Ibaka made Dad Drip cool again in Toronto. Touted by Kyle Lowry as “The Most Stylish Man in the NBA,” Ibaka capped off a career fit year with the Raptors by heading East to stunt out at Paris Fashion Week (just peep the ‘gram).

Terry Rozier, Boston Celtics

The game doesn’t end when the final horn blows for Scary Terry. Rozier had Twitter popping when he wore a Drew Bledsoe jersey after knocking Eric Bledsoe’s Bucks out of the postseason, but the Pats threads weren’t the only notable fit from Rozier, who brought out some of the League’s tuffest Off-White combinations.

Chris Paul, Houston Rockets

Deion Sanders once said that “You look good, you feel good. You feel good, you play good,” and it was the motto CP3 rode all the way to his first-ever Conference Finals. The Point Gawd mixed innovation and bold patterns with old-school staples (shouts out to making the dad cap cool again) in the winningest season of his career.

All-Drip Rookie of the Year

Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers

You would’ve thought Kuz had been Hollywood his whole life. Brining serious game and a booming personality to the Lakers, Kuzma has the wardrobe to match his path to stardom.

—

To keep up with the NBA’s Survival of the Fitted, follow @LeagueFits on Instagram 

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• MVP: James Harden
• People’s Champ (Best Use of Platform): LeBron James
• Most Respected: Vince Carter
• Best Side Hustle (Best Off-Court Endeavors): Russell Westbrook
• Mr. Clutch: Damian Lillard
• Sneaker Champ: PJ Tucker
• Leader of the New School (Best Rookie): Donovan Mitchell
• Locksmith (Best Defender): Rudy Gobert
• Freshest (Fit King): Russell Westbrook
• Toughest to Guard: James Harden
• X-Factor (Best Off The Bench): Lou Williams

Each team had a player voted as its “backbone,” with the results below.

• Atlanta Hawks: Kent Bazemore
• Boston Celtics: Marcus Smart
• Brooklyn Nets: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
• Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker
• Chicago Bulls: Bobby Portis
• Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James
• Dallas Mavericks: Wesley Matthews
• Denver Nuggets: Richard Jefferson
• Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond
• Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green
• Houston Rockets: PJ Tucker
• Indiana Pacers: Victor Oladipo
• Los Angeles Clippers: DeAndre Jordan
• Los Angeles Lakers: Julius Randle
• Memphis Grizzlies: Marc Gasol
• Miami Heat: Udonis Haslem
• Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Minnesota Timberwolves: Taj Gibson
• New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis
• New York Knicks: Enes Kanter
• Oklahoma City Thunder: Nick Collison
• Orlando Magic: Marreese Speights
• Philadelphia 76ers: TJ McConnell
• Phoenix Suns: Alan Williams
• Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard
• Sacramento Kings: Vince Carter
• San Antonio Spurs: LaMarcus Aldridge
• Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry
• Utah Jazz: Jae Crowder
• Washington Wizards: John Wall

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The Rockets versatile forward apparently played Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals after getting three root canals, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

P.J. Tucker played Game 7 after three root canals. Didn’t even tell teammates. Was unreal.

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) May 30, 2018

Played Game 6 with multiple cracked teeth. https://t.co/Cxpz8qjhIJ

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) May 30, 2018

Tucker, by the way, has played in 483 games since he returned to the NBA in 2012, the most in the league in that stretch. https://t.co/JN2AM93LA5

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) May 30, 2018

Despite playing hurt, Tucker had 14 points and 12 rebounds in Houston’s 101-92 loss to the Warriors.

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In Saturday’s Game 6 tilt between Houston and Golden State, the Warriors forced a Game 7 as they blew away the Rockets 115-86 fueled by Klay Thompson’s 35 points, which included nine triples. Thompson once again had on his white/gold Anta KT3 while fellow “Splash Brother” Stephen Curry donned a grey colorway of his Under Armour Curry 5 as he went for 29 points. The game also saw PJ Tucker and Nick Young stunt heavy with Tucker rocking another “Oregon Duck” Nike LeBron 15 PE while Swaggy P debuted Pharrell’s latest adidas release, the “Gratitude and Empathy” BYW X.

Despite missing the game with an injury, Chris Paul still managed to turn heads with a pair of his own Air Jordan X Retro PEs while Patrick McCaw donned the “Ginger” Air Jordan XX Retro as made his return to action from a scary fall he suffered back on March 31.

Peep the rest of the weekend’s best NBA playoff kicks in our gallery below.

Photos via Getty Images

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PJ Tucker continued with his non-stop sneaker heat as he pulled out another pair of exclusive ‘Brons as he rocked the black Oregon Ducks Nike LeBron 15 PE. Former Duck Jordan Bell of the Warriors went with the recently released retro of the Nike Zoom KD 4 “Battle Tested” which is part of Nike’s “Art of A Champion” collection. The shoe is the same colorway that Kevin Durant wore when OKC won the NBA Western Conference title back in 2012.

Steph Curry definitely turned some heads in his kicks as he donned an all-yellow pair of his latest Under Armour Curry 5.

Catch up on some of Game 5’s best kicks in our latest NBA playoff gallery below.

Photos via Getty Images

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Harden and Paul each wore their signature sneakers, as did Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant and scroll down to see what Nick Young was hooping in.

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LeBron James once again rocked his “4 Horsemen” Nike LeBorn 15 PE as the Cavs came alive to throttle the Celtics by 116-86. Kevin Love went for a double-double in his familiar team colored Nike Hyperdunk 2017 while JR Smith stunted in the Off White versions. For the Celts, Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier both wore the Nike Kyrie 4 with Tatum in the “Pitch Blue” model and Rozier in a NikeiD colorway while Marcus Morris brought out the “72-10” Air Jordan XI Retro.

Out in Oakland, Stephen Curry and company rebounded from a Game 2 beatdown in Houston to throttle the Rockets by 41 points, 126-81. After struggling in the first two games of the series, Curry was back to his old self as he scored a game-high 35 points in his Under Armour Curry 5. As Curry put on a show, sneakerheads certainly took notice of PJ Tucker and Nick Young’s joints as both went with notable pairs. Tucker took the floor in the “Yellow Lobster” Nike Kyrie 4 while Young rocked his pal Gilbert Arenas’ Benihana x adidas Gil II Zero “Hibachi” which released back in 2008.

Get a recap of this weekend’s best NBA playoff kicks in our latest gallery below.

Photos via Getty Images

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But Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and Andre Iguodala were no match for Houston’s lesser-known small-ball lineup (Chris Paul, James Harden, Trevor Ariza, Eric Gordon, and PJ Tucker) in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday night.

Over 22 minutes together during the Warriors’ 127-105 loss to Houston, the Hamptons Five had a net rating of minus-35.9, per USA Today‘s Sam Amick. On the opposite side, the Rockets’ small group posted a net rating of 30.2 in 10 minutes on the floor.

Afterwards, PJ Tucker, who dropped 22 points and hit five three-pointers, talked to Amick about that lineup:

“That’s my favorite lineup. We feel like we’re the best at that, when we go small. We feel like nobody can do what we do. You want to go small? Alright, fine. We’ll go small too. And like I said, our small lineup is the best in the League.”

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Stephen Curry Says He’s Healthy Despite Struggles

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Speaking of the King, no. 23 continued to show out in the LeBron 15, wearing modified versions that featured callbacks to Ken Griffey Jr., the Air Zoom Generation and the Shox BB4.

Custom colorways continued to shine, too. Kickstradomis, SwaggyL and True Blue Customs all had major heaters hit the floor in April.

Scroll down to the best of the best from April.

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JR Smith also wore a notable ‘Bron model as he donned a bright yellow PE of the new Nike Zoom LeBron Soldier 12 while Lance Stephenson pitched in 10 points while rocking the “Playoff” Air Jordan XIII Retro. While no official date has been announced, the “Playoffs” are slated to release sometime this upcoming summer.

In Houston, PJ Tucker also rocked the Playoff XIIIs, but it was another pair that had ‘heads buzzing. Tucker made noise as he debuted the upcoming “Cactus Jack” Air Jordan IV Retro, a collaborative effort between Travis Scott and Jordan Brand. Tucker wasn’t the only one rocking these Jays in the Toyota Center as Scott himself was sitting courtside wearing his Jordans. In the loss, Jimmy Butler also managed to turn heads as he brought out another fresh PE colorway of the Air Jordan XXXII Low.

Despite suffering an injury in game 1, Donovan Mitchell was able to suit up for Utah. And the team is sure glad he did as his big fourth quarter helped the Jazz upend the Thunder 102-95 as he finished the night with 28 points, 13 of which came in the final period. Mitchell continued to wear his tried and true adidas Dame 4s in Utah’s win. OKC’s Big Three all wore their respective signature models in team colors with Russell Westbrook in the Jordan Why Not Zer0.1, Carmelo Anthony in the Jordan Melo 1.5 Retro and Paul George in his Nike PG2.

Photos via Getty Images

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LeBron James recorded his 20th career playoff triple-double in his latest signature from the “LeBron Watch” collection. This Nike LeBron 15 was designed in homage to the Nike Shox BB4 and features the shoe’s original colorway along with the Swoosh’s lowkey five-dot Alpha Project logo. James was matched up with a familiar foe in Lance Stephenson who went with the “Space Jam” colorway of the Air Jordan IX Retro.

Despite pretty much wrapping up another NBA sneaker crown title, PJ Tucker continued to flex as he brought out the Nike Zoom LeBron III “Four Horsemen” PE and the Air Jordan III Retro “Stealth” from 2011 while teammate Joe Johnson rocked the “Toro” Air Jordan XVIII Retro.

Customs were also a big part of this weekend’s playoff action as Terry Rozier donned a “Scream” themed Nike Kobe A.D. Mid while Amir Johnson and Robert Covington rocked video game influenced designs with Johnson bringing out “Street Fighter” Nike Kyrie 4s and Covington donned “Mortal Kombat” Nike Hyperdunk 2017 Lows.

Other highlights included Jimmy Butler’s latest Air Jordan XXXII Low PE, Eric Bledsoe debuting the Nike Zoom LeBron Soldier 12, Russell Westbrook’s Jordan Why Not Zer0.1 and Derrick Rose in his latest signature model, the adidas D Rose 9.

With over 50 images recapping this weekend’s NBA Playoff kicks, you don’t want to miss out on this gallery.

Photos via Getty Images

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As he’s done all year, PJ Tucker made sure to rock some heat in Houston’s finale as he brought out the Air Jordan II Retro QF “Varsity Red” model from the 2010 “Candy Pack” collection. Chris Paul did his best to outshine the League’s sneaker king as he donned an exclusive pair of Air Jordan III Retros.

Montrezl Harrell was down with the Jordan theme as he brought two pairs of the Air Jordan V, going with the red suede “Raging Bull” and the “Independence Day” colorways. Julius Randle went the vintage Kobe route as he donned an OG Nike Zoom Kobe 1 while Josh Hart finished the season strong with a 3o point performance in the “Carpe Diem” Nike Kobe XI.

It’s been a fantastic year in NBA kicks and hopefully the upcoming playoffs treats us to even more fire.

Peep our final NBA kicks recap of the regular season right below.

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Tucker hit Hollywood hard as he rocked the Nike Air Max CB Nelly from the 2003 Artist Series as well as the coveted Nike Zoom LeBron III “Oilers” PE.

Chris Paul also did the Texas Two-Step as he wore an all-red colorway of his new Jordan CP3.XI and a CP3 PE of the Air Jordan III Retro.

While Tucker and Paul certainly shined on the sneaker front, the night belonged to Andre Ingram. The 10 year G-League vet finally made his NBA debut and scored a memorable 19 points while rocking the Under Armour Curry 3 as the Lakers fell short of their comeback attempt against the Rockets.

Despite not playing against the Mavericks, Devin Booker still made sneaker news as he gave us an on-foot glimpse at his upcoming Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro PE. The shoe is slated for release at select Foot Locker House of Hoops locations today.

Photos via Getty Images

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While James was impressing with his latest kicks, PJ Tucker continued to do the same with his pairs of the “Red October” inspired Nike Air Trainer SC and the “Red Suede” Air Jordan V Retros from the 2009 “Raging Bull” pack. Despite Tucker’s torrid sneaker pace, Lance Stephenson is managing to hang on to his NBA sneaker title dreams as he donned a pair of the Just Don x Air Jordan II “Beach.”

And last but not least, Jusuf Nurkic got in on the custom fun as he wore a pair of the Nike Zoom Rev 2018 emblazoned with the “Rip City” logo and his no.27.

Peep game and peruse through Thursday night’s best NBA kicks.

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We begin with some all-new colorways as LeBron James broke out another classic “Air Max 95” colorway on his Nike LeBron 15 this time running with the “Safety Orange” theme while Paul George debuted a sick grey based Nike PG2 accented with teal and purple hits.

In the chase for the NBA’s sneaker king title, P.J Tucker strengthened his case with a pair of Marquette Air Jordan III Retro PEs and a pair of the “Varsity Red” Air Jordan X Retro. Lance Stephenson brought out a very personal custom pair of the Air Jordan XIII “Altitude” which featured a “Born Ready” version of the team’s Hickory jersey and the Bad Boy logo painted on the sides. Myles Turner also went the custom route as he hit the hardwood in his “Storm Trooper” themed Nike PG1. Both customs were done by Kickstradomis.

Last but not least, despite sitting out with an injury, Gary Harris made sure to flex on Easter Sunday with the pastel colored and much coveted Sean Wotherspoon x Nike Air Max 1/97.

Make sure to peep the rest of Easter’s best NBA kicks.

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Jrue Holiday also played in the LeBron 15 throughout March, wearing a custom “Pelicans” version. Montrezl Harrell put in work with the “City of Angels” Kith x LeBron 15. But it was PJ Tucker who rocked just as much LeBron heat as the King himself. PJ broke out the “Diana Taurasi” LeBron 7 and the “Business” LeBron 6, two extremely rare pairs. Tucker also stunted with a pair of Yeezys.

DeMar DeRozan had a big sneaker month, too. He hooped in an “OVO” Kobe 1 Protro PE and the Undefeated Kobe 1 Protro. He also unveiled the Black Mamba’s newest sneaker, the Nike Kobe AD NXT 360, which features the latest in Nike’s innovation.

Other heavy hitters from March included two “Black Panther” customs. Clint Capela’s Hyperdunks featured T’Challa while Klay Thompson‘s KT3s showed love to the Panther’s color scheme.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf2VEFpHfy1/?taken-by=slamkicks

Stephen Curry also introduced the Under Armour Curry 5 midway through the month.

Scroll through the gallery below to more heat from Lance Stephenson, Kyle Kuzma, Dwyane Wade and others.

Photos via Getty Images

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Ahead of Air Max Day, LeBron James debuted the “AM95” edition of his Nike LeBron 15 from the “LeBron Watch” collection. The shoe draws its colorway inspiration from the OG Air Max 95 “Neon.” James’ teammate, Jordan Clarkson, also wore a pair of notable ‘Brons as he took the floor in the “Wheat” Nike LeBron 12.

Contenders for this year’s NBA sneaker crown came out in full force with both P.J. Tucker and Montrezl Harrell doubling up once again and Lance Stephenson wearing some DB bangers. Tucker went with a two pairs of vintage Nike LeBron 6s as he pulled out the “Big Apple” joint as well as the incredibly rare “Business” model which features a pinstripe upper. Harrell went with Jordan Melo 1.5s and the “Sunset” Nike Kobe 11 and Lance Stephenson wore the “BPM” Nike Air More Uptempo Doernbecher.

If those kicks aren’t enough to satisfy your appetite for NBA sneakers, then make sure to peep the rest of our Sunday night recap below.

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Jrue Holiday and Solomon Hill both wore crisp NikeiD colorways of the Nike PG1 in the Pelicans win over the Lakers at home. Both Kyle Kuzma and Julius Randle rocked Kobes that they’ve been wearing for most of the season with Kuzma in a yellow/white Nike Kobe Mid A.D. and Randle in the “Purple Stardust” Nike Kobe A.D..

In Charlotte, the Hornets put the Grizzlies through the ringer with a thorough 61 point beatdown. Kemba Walker dropped 46 points in the Air Jordan X Retro “Cool Grey” while Malik Monk turned heads in the UNDFTD x Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro.

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P.J. Tucker headlined the group as he brought out a pair of custom Nike Zoom Kobe 5 “Bruce Lee” which were adorned with the Aces logo. Elfrid Payton and Tyler Ulis went with the Nike Zoom Kobe 8 with each rocking the “Extraterrestrial” and the “Purple Gradient,” respectively. Tobias Harris continued to represent for the Kobe set with another wear of the Nike Kobe 11 EM “3D.”

Chris Paul debuted his latest Jordan Brand signature model as he wore the first colorway of the CP3.XI which features a forefoot strap and an upper color-blocked in a tie-dye manner. While CP3 was doing that, Jordan Retros continued to be a mainstay of NBA kicks as Montrezl Harrell went with the Air Jordan VI “Gatorade” and the “Orion Blue” VIIs. Arron Afflalo and Jerami Grant both rocked the “Space Jams” while Marcus Morris hit a game-winner in the “Concord” XIs.

There was plenty of heat on display Tuesday night around the NBA so make sure you get caught up with our latest recap below.

Photos via Getty Images

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OKC’s big three continued their parade of PE signature models with Russell Westbrook in his navy Jordan Why Not Zer0.1, Melo in his team-colored Jordan Melo M13 and Paul George donning his yellow Nike PG2s. Also getting some shine in the sneaker spotlight was Terrence Ferguson as he brought out another fire colorway of the Under Armour Heatseeker.

Other standouts on the evening included Tobias Harris with the fresh “3D” Nike Zoom Kobe 11 EM, Montrezl Harrell rocking both the Jordan Melo 5.5 and the Nike Zoom Kobe VII “Wolf” and C.J. Miles staying on the Jordan tip with the Air Jordan XIII Retro “Dirty Bred.”

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The Grizzlies’ guard duo of Tyreke Evans and Mike Conley continued to sit with injuries, but that didn’t stop them from rocking some grail worthy kicks. Evans went into his vault for the “Blink” Nike Air Yeezys while Conley went with a newer release as he rocked the Aleali May x Air Jordan I Retro.

P.J. Tucker continued his campaign for another NBA sneaker king title as he brought out his latest set of heaters with the “Cav Fanatic” Nike LeBron 7 PE and the “Year of the Rabbit” Air Jordan VII Retro.

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LeBron James went “Hollywood” in Los Angeles as he wore his pink-toned Nike LeBron 15 while Julius Randle had a career high 36 points to go with 14 boards and seven assists in the Nike Kobe A.D in the Lakers’ win. Jordan Clarkson made his return to L.A. rocking the “Ashes” colorway of the Nike LeBron 15.

Other highlights from Sunday include Kyrie Irving‘s “March Madness” Nike Kyrie 4, Karl-Anthony Towns with another graphic-drive Nike Hyperdunk 2017 and a pair of PE Nike Zoom Rev 2018s worn by Richard Jefferson and Draymond Green.

Peep the rest of Sunday’s NBA sneaker lineup in our latest gallery.

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Chris Paul with the exclusive colorway. #PlugTalk pic.twitter.com/y2QvgdgBGo

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 7, 2018

Not to be outdone, Montrezl Harrell came with his own heat as he rocked the white/orange colorway of the Jordan Melo 1.5 while also bringing out Nike Zoom LeBron Soldier III in the TB colorway of “White/University Blue.”

Customs have become a regular sight in NBA games and tonight’s sickest pair belonged to Jrue Holiday. He wore a navy/maroon gradient LeBron 15 model. Adidas highlights included Joel Embiid in his All-Star adidas Mad Bounce, James Harden keeping the Rockets rolling in his Harden Vol.2 “Traffic Jam” and Damian Lillard scorched the Knicks in his Dame 4.

We’ve got over 30 images from last night’s NBA sneaker action so make sure you take a moment to check out our latest gallery below.

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In a game that featured several sneaker heavyweights, it was James Harden that made headlines as he snatched Wesley Johnson’s ankles while rocking his “Califonia Dreamin” adidas Harden Vol.2. The match-up of sneaker titans P.J. Tucker and Montrezl Harrell didn’t disappoint with Tucker rocking the Nike LeBron X EXT “Red Suede” PE and the “Tinker” Air Jordan III Retro while Harrell went with the “Cool Grey” Air Jordan XI Retro and the Off White x Air Jordan I.

Stephen Curry took the floor of the Capital One Arena rocking a special pair of custom Under Armour Curry 4s. The shoe was a special collaboration with President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance and prominently featured the organization’s logo on the shoe. In the same game, Kevin Durant debuted his newest Nike KDX colorway, the latest iteration of the “Aunt Pearls.”

Those were just some of the highlights from Wednesday night. Make sure you get a chance to see all of the evening’s gems in our latest recap below.

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Tuesday night’s headliner featured the new-look Cavs visiting OKC and there was plenty of fresh kicks on court. LeBron James wore an all-white Nike LeBron 15 with a multi-color outsole while Paul George went with a sunset-esque gradient PE pair of his Nike PG2. Russell Westbrook broke out the “2-Way” colorway of his Jordan Why Not Zer0.1 and Carmelo Anthony rocked a familiar pair of his Jordan Melo M13.

As always, Kobes were another popular wear around the league with DeMar DeRozan rocking an earth toned Nike Kobe A.D. Mid and Trey Lyles bringing out the Nike Kobe 9 Elite FTB. And closing out, Jeff Teague – who normally wears the Kobe A.D. Mids – switched things up and went with the Nike Air Zoom Generation Retro.

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Nick Young, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson all took the court in mismatched sneakers this month. Nick Young paid homage to Tracy McGrady by rocking two different colorways of the adidas T-Mac 3 on Christmas Day. LeBron made a statement in Washington DC with one black sneaker and one white sneaker, each stamped with EQUALITY on the back heel.

The King. pic.twitter.com/3pgVOGsudr

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 17, 2017

The Nike Kyrie 4 debuted in the “Confetti” colorway, a mismatched callback to the confetti that fell when the Warriors defeated the Cavs in last year’s Finals. Klay Thompson was the man guarding Irving throughout that series and his Christmas Day KT3s featured one red and one green model at the same time.

After wearing a “Jason” themed Hyperdunk on Halloween, Karl-Anthony Towns has been showing off a steady stable of custom colorways. He wore more individual heat in December when he called out Kanye and the Grinch. He’s been working with Kickstradomis, an LA-based customizer who can also count Mario Hezonja, Hassan Whiteside and James Harden as players to hoop in his designs.

Harden wore his exclusive “Legacy” Vol. 1 in Boston earlier this week. He also has a “Free Meek” colorway that Kickstradomis whipped up for him. But his customs weren’t the only time Harden broke necks this month. Adidas quietly previewed the Harden Vol. 2 and the Beard also laced up the Harden BTE for the first time since it was seen months ago.

He was one of a handful of adidas athletes that went hard this month. Taurean Prince wore the T-Mac 5 “All-Star,” following up last month’s appearance of the T-Mac 5 “Bred.” Besides paying homage to T-Mac, Nick Young played in the Crazy 8 and he introduced the adidas Crazy BYW, along with Brandon Ingram.

But the biggest news from this month is that John Wall appears to be headed back to the Three Stripes. He played in the “Florist” Wall 1 a few days ago, a sneaker that was released more than three years ago.

Scroll through the gallery above to see all of it. PJ Tucker, Lance Stephenson, Montrezl Harrell and Jordan Clarkson continued to flex with rare pairs and Draymond Green took another shot at LeBron through his Christmas Day kicks. Gotta love the League, man.

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Best NBA Kicks of November 2017
Best NBA Kicks of October 2017

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Not to be outshined by Tucker’s sneaker exploits, Jordan Clarkson came correct rocking the Off-White x Nike React Hyperdunk 2017 in pre-game before hitting the floor in the “Mamba Mentality” Nike Kyrie 3.

Retro models continued to be a strong presence Sunday night as Lance Thomas went with the “Copper” Nike Air Penny IV, Nick Young once again wore the adidas Crazy 8, Jerami Grant rocked the Air Jordan VII “Pure Money,” Montrezl Harrell balled in the Air Jordan XIII “Chicago” and Arron Afflao brought out the Air Jordan X “Powder Blue.”

Peep the gallery above to see all the sneakers in action.

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Post Up: James Harden, Rockets Dominate in LA

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LeBron James made a statement with the debut of the Nike LeBron 15. His all-black sneaker was accented by a golden Swoosh and the word “EQUALITY” wrapped around the heel. The King, who led the Cavs to a 102-99 win over the Celtics with 26 points, 16 rebounds and 9 assists, shared a picture of the sneaker on Instagram, saying: “Together we will persevere through all adversity, negativity and turn it into happiness and love!”

Kyrie Irving nearly beat LeBron in their first matchup since the offseason’s dramatic trade. Before he laced up his “Shamrock” Nike Kyrie 3 PE, Irving introduced the world to the Nike Kyrie 3 “What The,” a hybrid that combines elements of his first three sneakers.

Opening Night views. (: @DonCharleone) pic.twitter.com/T8AGD3zRGO

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) October 18, 2017

Other highlights from the first game of the season included the D Rose 8 and a look at the Crazy Explosive 17 Low, worn by Jaylen Brown in a 25-point performance.

Out in the Bay, Draymond Green broke necks by wearing the “Off-White” Hyperdunks during the first half of the Dubs’ game against the Rockets, a matchup they lost 122-121. Green then switched to his Flyknit Hyperdunks to close out the game. Stephen Curry was in a black edition of the Under Armour Curry 4, Nick Young was scorching hot in some classic silver adidas Gil Zero 2s and Klay Thompson was also drilling three pointers, rocking his “Gold Blooded” Anta KT3.

James Harden showed off a new adidas Harden Vol. 1 colorway for the Rockets while PJ Tucker laced up the Nike LeBron X and Chris Paul wore an all-red version of his signature sneaker. Scroll through the gallery above to see all the sneaker heat from last night.

Related
Post Up: Opening Night 2017

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

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Tucker has agreed to a four-year, $32M deal with the Rockets, league sources tell The Vertical. https://t.co/6w4j6B1YnL

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2017

Tucker was traded from the Suns to the Raptors at last year’s deadline. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tucker turned down a deal with the Raptors because of his friendship with the Rockets’ Chris Paul:

Chris Paul played big role getting friend PJ Tucker to HOU. Raps offered 3 yrs/$33M, Rockets deal is 4/$32M, partial guarantee in last year

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 2, 2017

Yesterday, there were rumors of a deal between the Cavs and Rockets that would have sent guard Iman Shumpert to Houston. That potential trade appears to be dead at the moment now that Houston has agreed to terms with Tucker:

For now, Cavs/Rockets deal for Shumpert has significantly stalled, league sources say. Houston agreed with P.J. Tucker last night. https://t.co/2KekvjOBeg

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2017

RELATED:
2017 NBA Free Agent Tracker

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PJ Tucker strolls down a back hallway inside the Garden, decked out. He’s wearing a designer windbreaker, sunglasses, skinny jeans and the “Atmos” Nike Air Max 1 with no socks.

In the locker room, he pulls out a pair of “Red October” Nike Air Yeezy 2s. He reveals a red pair of the Nike Kobe A.D. in his stash, too. Then the NBA’s sneaker king starts to unlace the KAWS Air Jordan IVs. Raptors equipment manager Paul Elliott, who’s balancing one leg on a scooter after Achilles surgery, looks on with a huge smile.

As if that wasn’t enough heat, the rest of the Raptors locker room is full of the latest from the Swoosh, the Three Stripes and Under Armour. Delon Wright sits next to Tucker in the “Red Hot Santa” UA Curry 3. Kyle Lowry’s rocking a clean cool grey adidas Crazy Explosive Low PE. Cory Joseph has an all-black pair of Nike Kyrie 2s. DeMar DeRozan slips into his Kobe A.D. PEs—his special “Compton” colorway has a rendering of the street he grew up on featured in the sockliner.

“I don’t know if it’s a competition,” says Norm Powell, with a crispy red pair of the latest Kobe model on his feet, about the Raptors being the NBA’s best sneaker team. “I think, especially me, I try to keep up with Tuck and Deebo. The Kobes, they’re always coming out with something new I haven’t seen. I tried to beat DeMar out a little bit with my custom shoes, but he has so many different colorways. It’s hard to keep up.”

Yeah, it is. No other team in the League has the sneakers to keep up with Toronto. No other team walks around with the quiet confidence of the Dino squad. With all the silhouettes around the team, they put on a fashion show every game.

DeRozan and Lowry are top tier members of Nike and adidas, respectively. Young fellas like Wright, Powell and Joseph make it a point to gear up in neck-breaking colorways each night. And PJ Tucker’s the League’s reigning sneaker king.

After the Raptors pick up an easy win over the Knicks, Tucker sits at his locker, checking his phone. Norm Powell, half joking, half not, yells over to Tucker, asking for his KAWS IVs.

“Ain’t that right, PJ? You gonna gimme those kicks?”

Tucker, the king, doesn’t even look up. Heavy is the head that wears the (sneaker) crown.

—

Scroll the gallery above to see the Raptors’ best sneakers. Photos courtesy of Getty.

The post The Raptors Are the Best Sneaker Team in the NBA appeared first on SLAM.

Stephenson appeared to rub salt in the visitors’ wounds with a late-game layup, which predictably led to yelling and shoving.

The Raptors weren’t happy with Lance after his last-second layup. (via @BleacherReport) pic.twitter.com/48kTg4xmri

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) April 5, 2017

P.J. Tucker accused Born Ready of being “classless.”

Per the Indy Star:

Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan and P.J. Tucker were offended by what they felt was an unnecessary layup by Stephenson, the Pacers’ fiery guard. After Stephenson made his meaningless basket with 3 seconds left, DeRozan and Tucker confronted him, causing a scuffle at midcourt.

 

“Tasteless, classless,” Tucker said Stephenson’s actions. “There’s nowhere in the league for that. They have a lot of respectable guys. (Paul George), Al (Jefferson) and Monta (Ellis). There’s a way to win and there’s a way to lose in this league. That ain’t the way to win. That ain’t the way you finish games. I think those guys know that. That dude, he has no class. He has no taste.”

 

“I’ll take fault in passing it to him because I knew he was going to lay it up,” George said of Stephenson. “It’s kind of a basketball cardinal rule. You just hold onto the ball.”

Born Ready was apologetic after the game, telling reporters that he, “didn’t mean no harm:”

Related
Lance Stephenson on Returning to Indiana: ‘It’s Gonna Be Like Michael Jordan Coming Back’

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The Phoenix Suns are trading PJ Tucker to the Toronto Raptors, league source tells @TheVertical.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2017

Sources: Toronto is sending Jared Sullinger and two future second-round picks to Phoenix for PJ Tucker.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2017

Sources: Toronto is sending Phoenix its 2017 and 2018 second-round picks in the Tucker trade.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2017

The Raptors went 3-5 heading into the break and slipped to fourth in the East. They currently sit seven games back of the Cavs.

The post Suns Trade PJ Tucker to Raptors For Jared Sullinger and Two Future Second-Round Picks appeared first on SLAM.

Tucker, 31, is expected to be sidelined for the next 6-8 weeks.

Suns announce P.J. Tucker underwent a low back microdiscectomy procedure. Tucker is expected to be out 6-8 weeks. https://t.co/QyZplpeFT5

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) September 15, 2016

From the press release:

Preparing for his sixth NBA season and fifth with the Suns, Tucker is a four-time winner of the team’s Majerle Hustle Award. In 2015-16, he averaged 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, a career-high 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals while playing all 82 games (80 starts).

 

The Suns begin training camp in Flagstaff on Sept. 27, their first preseason game is Oct. 3 and their regular season opener is Oct. 26.

The post P.J. Tucker Out 6-8 Weeks Following Back Surgery appeared first on SLAM.

“Hey Tuck, where in the hell did you get those?”

It was Michael Jordan, shouting at him from the corner seat on the Hornets bench.

His Airness was pointing to a pair of white, purple and orange Air Jordan Vs on Tucker’s feet—kicks created exclusively for Shawn Marion in 2001.

“I couldn’t do anything but laugh,” Tucker says. “I actually had a pair of Jordan shoes that Jordan didn’t have.”

Equipped with kicks like those, plus a stash of rare exclusives from the likes of Michael Finley, Josh Howard and Eddie Jones, Tucker has become the undisputed king of wearing the most intriguing and hard-to-find sneakers on the NBA hardwood. Indeed, his footwear choices have earned him celebrity status on sneaker blogs. And PJ credits his findings to three consignment shops that he’s developed great relationships with over the years: P4P Shoes in Phoenix, RIF LA in Los Angeles and Index in Portland.

“Whenever we play the teams in those cities, I always stop by and kick it with those guys,” Tucker says. “They look out for me and give me first dibs with stuff you just can’t find on the Internet, and we always bounce ideas off of each other in regards to what I’ll wear next.”

Tucker says he stops by P4P Shoes—his biggest supplier—at least once a week (it’s where he copped those Matrix PEs MJ hollered about).

But there’s one valued shoe he unexpectedly received that even his consignment shop plugs couldn’t have helped with.

Last summer, Tucker had lunch with former NBA player and teammate Fred Jones, whom he refers to as his “vet.” Jones was a Jordan Brand athlete and four-year pro by the time Tucker entered the League, so he took PJ under his wing during their lone year together in Toronto. He also happens to have a massive collection of rare Air.

“I would ask him for a pair every time I went to his house, but he never bit,” Tucker recalled.

Finally, Jones relented, gifting Tucker an uber-limited black and orange Air Jordan VIII exclusive that was created for affiliates of Fat Joe’s Terror Squad years ago.

“I’ve been fortunate to obtain some great kicks just by meeting people and sparking up conversations in person or on social media,” says Tucker. “Relationships matter in the sneaker culture.”

—

Originally published in KICKS 19—on sale now!

Photos via Getty Images

The post Plugged In appeared first on SLAM.

Marcus Morris' comment about his Suns time in this @Keith_Langlois feature. http://t.co/iSAYeaSPop pic.twitter.com/3mgzb9M7Wl

— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) September 25, 2015

Morris did have 35 starts in 2014-15, but clearly feels he deserved more.

Morris also thinks the Suns failed to take advantage of his ability to cause mismatches.

From the Pistons’ team website:

And he sees this as his best opportunity to sink roots and carve out a role after 1½ seasons in Houston and 2½ in Phoenix. […] “Yes, it is. In Phoenix, I thought I should have started at the three. The guy that’s there now (P.J. Tucker) might have been a better defender, but as an all-around three, I thought I was the best we had. And I thought a lot of players thought that, too. But there’s a lot of opportunity here. I have a chance to come in and start right away. I’ve been in the league for five years. It’s nothing new to me. I have started my share of games. It’s not like I’m new to it. The only thing that’s new is that it’s the East Coast now.”

 

(Stan) Van Gundy plans to replace the post-up game that Greg Monroe provided with a dose of it from other players, Morris among them. That suits him, too.

 

“That’s always been a part of my game. With being a big three, I’ve got to utilize that. I don’t want to stand out on the wing and I’ve got a smaller guy on me. That tended to happen a lot in Phoenix where they didn’t utilize the mismatches. And I think that’s going to be a mismatch.”

The post Marcus Morris Says He Should’ve Started Over P.J. Tucker appeared first on SLAM.

Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Knight detonated for a pair of vicious, back-to-back jams Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns.

Knight victimized both Eric Bledsoe and PJ Tucker with his third quarter throwdowns, but it wasn’t enough as the Suns held on for a 102-96 win.

The post Brandon Knight With Two Nasty Dunks vs the Suns (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

The Suns didn’t need Tucker, though, as they eked out a 118-114 road win against the Celtics.

Per the AP:

Tucker was listed as inactive for Monday night’s 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics. Suns spokeswoman Julie Fie said Tucker “basically missed the plane” to Boston on Sunday.

 

Earlier this season, the NBA suspended Tucker for three games following his guilty plea to “super extreme” driving while intoxicated.

 

Tucker is averaging 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season.

The post PJ Tucker Suspended for Missing the Team Plane appeared first on SLAM.

The suspension will be served at the beginning of the coming season.

 

Tucker was sentenced to three days in jail and 11 days’ home detention following his plea last week. “Super extreme” DUI under Arizona law is for persons whose blood alcohol level exceeds .20 percent. Police say that just after his May 10 arrest in Scottsdale, Tucker had a blood alcohol level of .222. The legal limit in Arizona is .08.

 

Tucker has apologized to fans and said he is taking the necessary steps to address his problem.

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