In 2015, LeBron James said this in an interview with GQ: “If I see a player wearing my shoes […] one night against me, so I’m going to kick his ass. »
A quote that describes an unspoken rule in the NBA: we try not to wear the signature shoes of the stars of the league when we meet them, in order to avoid giving them a psychological advantage. The Grizzlies are applying it this season. Although there may be some hiccups.
” I forgot “explains Santi Aldama, who had Giannis Antetokounmpo on his feet when he crossed the Greek, for the Commercial Appeal. “Dillons Brooks was crazy last season”adds the Spaniard, who remembers being yelled at by his teammate during a shootaround, because he was wearing the wrong shoes in anticipation of the upcoming match.
Tyus Jones had learned this rule from Kevin Garnett, during his first season in the NBA, in Minnesota. Today, the playmaker plays on the court with Kyrie Irving on his feet, except against Brooklyn. Facing the Nets, and like Ja Morant, he had opted for Kobe Bryant.
“You don’t play against a player wearing his shoes, because these stars already have an advantage”he assures. “It’s a bit like our mentality: we play against someone, we don’t wear their shoes. It’s not a lack of respect, not at all. It’s a question of mentality. »
Except that the mentality can sometimes oppose old habits. Because when you wear a style of shoe all season long, changing for an evening means taking the risk of being “next to your pumps” as the saying goes.
“I don’t change my shoes”answers Xavier Tillman Sr., a big fan of the Nike Zoom Freak. “If you’re comfortable in these shoes, then you have to wear them”adds a now less categorical Brooks.
There is therefore a simple solution to adopt for the players, for Santi Aldama in particular: when the Nets are on the program, he wears his Antetokounmpo, when it is Milwaukee who challenges Memphis, then he puts on Kyries.
“When I play against Kevin Durant, I wear his shoes with pride”specifies for his part Brandon Clarke, who has decided not to apply this rule.
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| Ja Morant | 14 | 33.0 | 46.5 | 39.1 | 79.2 | 1.3 | 4.9 | 6.2 | 7.1 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 28.6 |
| Desmond Bane | 12 | 33.5 | 46.5 | 45.1 | 91.2 | 0.5 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 24.7 |
| Dillon Brooks | 14 | 30.5 | 39.4 | 34.1 | 68.6 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 2.9 | 16.9 |
| Jaren Jackson, Jr. | 2 | 25.0 | 33.3 | 23.1 | 69.2 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 9.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 16.0 |
| Tyus Jones | 17 | 23.7 | 45.3 | 35.4 | 65.0 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 4.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 10.7 |
| Santi Aldama | 17 | 26.9 | 45.6 | 33.8 | 68.8 | 1.7 | 4.4 | 6.1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 9.9 |
| Brandon Clarke | 17 | 19.1 | 60.2 | 16.7 | 74.4 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 9.1 |
| John Konchar | 16 | 27.2 | 47.1 | 41.5 | 87.5 | 1.5 | 4.7 | 6.2 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 8.3 |
| steven adams | 16 | 26.2 | 63.8 | 0.0 | 23.3 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 10.6 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 7.0 |
| David Roddy | 17 | 17.9 | 37.1 | 25.5 | 73.3 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 5.6 |
| Jake Laravia | 13 | 18.8 | 41.9 | 38.1 | 100.0 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 5.6 |
| Xavier Tillman, Sr. | 9 | 10.4 | 54.2 | 25.0 | 30.0 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 3.3 |
| Kenny Lofton, Jr. | 3 | 4.7 | 44.4 | 0.0 | 33.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Kennedy Chandler | 7 | 10.2 | 33.3 | 14.3 | 42.9 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 2.9 |
| Vincent Williams, Jr. | 4 | 5.2 | 28.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
