Next time you're watching an NBA game take a few moments and concentrate on the shoes your favorite players are wearing. Chances are that guy is rocking some serious heat because, obviously, he's trying to make a run for the Sneaker King crown. Players are trying to best each other on a nightly basis when it comes to the rare gems they rock on the court and that's more evident now than ever before.
As the NBA season winds down and the playoffs get closer not only are players trying to help their teams separate themselves in the standings, they're also trying to cement their names as the upper echelon in the sneaker game. Starting with Vol. 7, the race for the crown will only continue to intensify and you'll see the best run of NBA sneakers to date. It's time to get you started: here are this week's best 15 players when it comes to standing out on the hardwood.
15. James Harden (Last week: NR)
Rockets star guard James Harden is chasing his second straight MVP award and is breaking scoring records that haven't been dusted off since Wilt Chamberlain dominated the league in the '60s. It won't give him a boost in MVP voting, but Harden has been campaigning in style with the Adidas Harden Vol. 3 on his feet. Harden is the biggest name signed to Adidas and the brand has stocked him with a number of amazing colorways lately. Keep scrolling and check out his recent highlights.
14. Luka Doncic (Last week: 12)
Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic has really made an imprint this season as a force on the NBA sneaker scene. Doncic has consistently shown off his creativity with custom kicks, his sneaker knowledge with some vintage Nike retros and now he's riding the wave of the latest low-top kicks Nike has to offer. Whenever he's been on the court lately, Doncic has been caught rocking a pair of Nike Hyperdunk X lows in a number of new and unreleased colorways. He also made frequent use of the Hyperdunk X "Black History Month" during the entire month of February, so big props for utilizing that classic colorway.
13. De'Aaron Fox (Last week: NR)
De'Aaron Fox has been one of the standout players on a Kings team with a real shot to make the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. That accomplishment outshines pretty much anything else this season, but his insane display of kicks on the court comes a close second. Fox is a regular in the Sneaker King Power Rankings, making his fifth appearance here in Vol. 7. His highlights recently include the Nike Kobe 7 "Year of the Dragon," the Nike Kobe 9 "Red Mamba" and the Nike KD 7 "Black History Month."
12. Derrick Jones Jr. (Last week: 10)
Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr., aka Airplane Mode, not only has one of the best nicknames in the NBA, he also has one of the most versatile sneaker collections around. Jones always seems to come through with some eye-popping kicks whenever he hits the court and that hasn't changed during the Heat's recent surge. Airplane Mode continues to fly high on the sneaker scene with highlights that include the Nike Kobe 5 in a sleek silver colorway with crimson accents (bottom left below). But what really takes the cake wafer this week is a custom pair of Nike Kobe kicks decorated to look like a Kit Kat package. Sneakers and chocolate are a helluva combination and we approve that message.
11. Kevin Durant (Last week: 15)
Warriors star Kevin Durant has been in his bag lately when it comes to rocking player-exclusive kicks. Not only does Durant show you on a nightly basis that he can do the impossible on the court, he also rubs it in your nose that the kicks he's hooping in you can't touch. In Vol. 6, we showed you the Nike KD 11 "Texas" PE that he's been rocking with frequency lately and he still has that pair in his rotation. But what pushes Durant up the rankings this week is another KD 11 PE that he broke out for the first time this season in a matchup against the Celtics. Keep scrolling to check the kicks out.
10. Dwyane Wade (Last week: 13)
Dwyane Wade keeps getting asked why he's retiring after this season. Fans, analysts and all of the like can still see that he's a legit hooper even in his 16th season. As far as the Sneaker King Power Rankings are concerned, we'd like to see Father Prime return for selfish purposes because he's simply going out in style. Wade, who's signed to Chinese sportswear company Li Ning, has been absolutely killing the shoe game this season. His highlights lately include two amazing colorways of the Way of Wade 7s. You HAVE to check these out.
9. Jayson Tatum (Last week: NR)
How blessed is Jayson Tatum? A 21-year-old walking bucket on the court who gets the hookup with the latest Nike Kyrie 5s and is one of the handful of NBA players Nike laced up with their new state-of-the-art self-lacing shoes. Things could definitely be worse for the Celtics stud, and he's taking advantage of all his blessings as of late. Tatum's highlights recently include a brand new colorway of the Nike Kyrie 5 that he broke out on his birthday and his frequent use of the Nike Adapt BB PE decorated in Celtics green.
8. Tobias Harris (Last week: 7)
In Vol. 6, Tobias Harris came in at the No. 7 spot and we broke down why he's in line for the crown when it comes to the best Nike Kobe line in the league right now. Well, now we're in the thick of things here in Vol. 7 and nothing has changed. Harris broke out a number of new colorways in the modern Nike Kobe line but his biggest highlight came when he broke out the Nike Kobe 7 "Barcelona," a classic colorway that pops out whenever it's brought out of the vault.
Tobias Harris. Kobe kicks. Light work. pic.twitter.com/ak6ZG3kjRG
— Ruben Palacios (@rubenp24_) March 7, 2019
7. Isaiah Thomas (Last week: 2)
Isaiah Thomas made his Sneaker King debut last week in Vol. 6 and he's back at it again. Thomas' sneaker game will make him a mainstay in these rankings as the season continues to unfold, so be ready for more heat coming out of Denver. Thomas, like Harris before him, has one of the best Nike Kobe collections in the league and continues to show it off on a nightly basis. His recent highlights include the Nike Kobe 4 "Fade to Black," and a vibrant colorway of the Nike Kobe AD that features a rainbow-like streak around the sole that matched perfectly with the Nuggets' City Edition jerseys.
6. DeMar DeRozan (Last week: 5)
Completing the trilogy of insane Nike Kobe line collections with Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan, who continues to be the player that debuts new colorways from the line on a regular basis. Listen, if Nike keeps sending you the brand new stuff before anyone else it seems like they consider you the king of the Kobe line (please don't let Tobias and Isaiah see this). DeRozan was the talk of the NBA sneaker world when he debuted a brand new colorway of the Nike Kobe 4 Protro against the Hawks in Atlanta. He also broke out the Nike Kobe 4 "Fade to Black" this week, which is a crazy run of kicks but just looks like light work for him.
5. Russell Westbrook (Last week: 6)
Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is on an absolute tear with his new signature, the Jordan Why Not Zer0.2. Westbrook seemingly breaks out a couple of new colorways of his kicks per week and they all top the previous in creativity. This week, Westbrook broke out TWO new editions of his kicks and they both made a huge splash within the sneaker community. One pair is vibrant yellow with hints of red and a gum bottom, the other is a more tame colorway with hints of camo print and orange accents. If you don't know, now you know: The Brodie always brings the heat.
4. Kyrie Irving (Last week: 4)
Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving is riding the wave of the succesful Nike Kyrie 5 line and has been breaking out exclusive and new colorways on the regular lately. Irving flashed back to his time in Durham, North Carolina with a pair of Kyrie 5 "Duke" PEs, which honestly make us all dream of being a 5-star hooper just to get our hands on those shoes. He kept the momentum coming in an exclusive black and white colorway with a reflective Nike swoosh on the side, one of the more unique colorways to see the hardwood this season. If Uncle Drew keeps this sort of fire coming, he's going to be battling for the crown very soon.
3. Montrezl Harrell (Last week: 3)
Montrezl Harrell seriously likes to keep you guessing with what he's going to wear next on the court. Strictly talking versatility and creativity, Harrell might be able to claim the NBA's best sneaker game. Harrell is the only player in the league that can rock the Nike Zoom Rookie "Galaxy" and then follow it up with a pair of And1 shoes that have snakes wrapped around a pair of skulls embroidered on the back. Keep scrolling to get a glimpse of those gems.
2. LeBron James (Last week: 11)
We knew LeBron James would make a giant leap at some point this season when it comes to his on-court kicks. That moment is now, and the leap was huge. The King continues to break out flashy new colorways from his Nike LeBron 16 line, none better than the LeBron 16 Atmos "Safari." James is also aided by the kicks he wore when he surpassed Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list in a loss to the Nuggets. James wore his LeBron 16 but these kicks were designed to emulate the iconic Jordan 3 in order to pay homage to M.J. himself. We'll have to stay tuned to see what kicks LeBron rocks when he passes Kobe Bryant in points at some point next season. We'll be waiting.
1: P.J. Tucker (Last week: 1)
You have to dig deep into the history books -- like into the '60s -- to find the last team that was able to win four consecutive titles in NBA history. We know this isn't the same thing, but in terms of just sheer dominance, P.J. Tucker just completed the four-peat and is in the rarefied air only those throwback Boston Celtics teams can relate to. Tucker is the NBA's shoe king and he shows it off on the regular. He rocks shoes on the court that sneakerheads have only heard about as legends. This week, Tucker's light work of crazy kicks include the Nike Kobe 4 "Gold Medal," a shoe Nike made in 2009 after Bryant helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in the Olympics the year prior. Tucker pushed himself away from the pack with two pairs of Nike ID kicks -- one being the Nike Kyrie 1 and the other the Nike LeBron 10 -- which you have to see to understand the hype. Tucker continues to do things on the regular that make our heads spin and our jaws drop. Can he keep it up? That's a silly question, he's the GOAT.
Just Missed The Cut
These are the players that are on the brink of making the jump in the Sneaker King Power Rankings: Hawks forward Vince Carter, Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Jazz forward Thabo Sefolosha, Thunder forward Jerami Grant and Nuggets guard Malik Beasley.
