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Nick DePaulaESPN
In his return to Cleveland this season, LeBron James didn’t just look to honor his home state with the launch of his new “More Than An Athlete” docuseries chronicling his rise from Akron to the heights of the sporting world, he also broke out a pair of the signature shoes worn during the last season of his first Cavs tenure, in his high school colors.
The Saint Vincent-Saint Mary themed Nike LeBron 7 sneakers featured the Fighting Irish’s classic green and gold accents, with portraits of James and his high school teammates from the early 2000s inset along the heel and tongue.
Originally released in 2009 in just ten cities, the shoes were created in tandem with the world tour premiere for James’ first documentary, “More Than A Game.” A decade later, he has continued to build on that premise through a variety of platforms and ventures.
For Detroit Pistons guard Langston Galloway, the latest custom edition of his second signature shoe shines a light on family members, his uncles Geoff Arnold and Peter Arnold, who’ve battled and overcome prostate cancer in recent years. His Q4 brand sneakers are flooded in a light-blue shade for prostate cancer awareness.
“Every year there is a [prostate health] run in Philadelphia during Father’s Day called Gary Papa’s Run, in which my uncles compete in,” Galloway said. “1485 is the number which my Uncle Geoff ran in.”
In addition to the shout-outs to Geoff and Peter, he also added a nod to “Team Arnold,” the band of friends and family members who support Geoff during his races. All year long, Galloway has been working with customizers to celebrate different themes and stories close to home.
“‘Get checked’ is on the side because this is a serious ailment that a lot of men don’t get checked early enough,” Galloway adds. “Both of my uncles are doing great now and have become great ambassadors for this cancer.”
In Miami, Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie once again utilized the blank canvas of his own self-produced K8IROS signature sneakers, this time showing love for his opponent, Heat icon Dwyane Wade.
“Often times, we don’t give OGs their roses while they can still smell ’em,” Dinwiddie wrote on Instagram. “Tribute to a legend that deserves his farewell tour! And the only current player that will be a part of this journey this season.”
The sneakers featured Wade’s “One Last Dance” mantra for his final season atop the forefoot bands, along with his jersey number, palm trees and a purple and neon-green stingray-splatter graphic that was originally featured on the future Hall Of Famer’s first Li-Ning Way Of Wade All-Star Game sneakers.
And then there’s PJ Tucker, who has changed his sneakers as many as three times per game, with a rotation of six pairs of coveted kicks in three games this past week. In between donning the much-hyped upcoming Air Fear of God 1, a pair of vintage LeBrons from a decade ago and an original 2009 Kobe IV iD by former NBA glue guy Ronny Turiaf, Tucker once again surprised with a pair of original Kevin Durant sneakers.
The vivid yellow pair of KD3s was originally a “Christmas” theme during Durant’s OKC run. Thanks to the lack of color restrictions, Tucker has no problem standing out in the clashing signature kicks of his fellow former Texas Longhorn.
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