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If you recall, Nate Robinson was named our first ever Kicks On Court champion at the conclusion of the 2008-2009 NBA season, and it’s no surprise that the miniscule guard has remained in the running for the award in each subsequent season. This week, you’ve traveled back in time with him for a childhood sneaker memory and heard his plans to pitch a possible “Kryptonate” Foamposite, yet, our recent conversation with him reveals much more. Check out our full interview with Nate Robinson in which he discusses his favorite Kicks On Court moments, his go-to signature basketball line and the shoes that got him hooked on collecting.
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Nice Kicks: You were our first ever Kicks On Court champion at the conclusion of the 2008-2009 NBA season. Personally, what is your favorite shoe that you’ve worn on court?
Nate Robinson: I’ve worn so many shoes, but one of my favorite shoes that I have worn on court is the “Birthday Bundle” LeBron IVs when I was with the Knicks. Although I’m a big Jordan guy, I didn’t wear a lot of Jordans in New York like my former teammate Quentin Richardson did, but I remember wearing those LeBrons. I wore those against Orlando one game, and I scored like 22 points in the 4th quarter on those guys. I wore those LeBrons with the orange shin pads I usually wear and the orange sleeve. I definitely remember that.
Nice Kicks: Wearing the ?Kryptonate? Foamposite Lites in the 2009 Sprite Dunk Contest was one of, if not the biggest Kicks On Court moment within the past five years. Will we see more ?Kryptonate? shoes in the future or was that just a one-time thing?
Nate Robinson: Well, the ?Kryptonate? thing was perfect, and it made sense because it was the Dunk Contest and I was going against Dwight Howard who has the whole Superman theme going. Those shoes are so awesome, man ? defeating Superman and the Kryptonite green was great. Those are pretty sweet. Right now, I?m working on a deal that I?m going to talk to Nike about. I have one of the sickest ideas. I want to see a special edition ?Kryptonate? Foamposite One. I want to pitch this to Nike. I want them to come out with that ?Kryptonate? colorway on the Foamposite One. They need to make them in that color because Penny was one of my favorite players growing up next to Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson. I?m a big Penny fan, and I love when Nike recreates those old classics, like the Foamposite One, in new colorways. I?m going to pitch that to Nike real soon.?
Nice Kicks: The Nice Kicks staff consistently compiles list of memorable shot/move/crossover and kicks combinations from past and present, and your name is always brought up. Do you remember some of the shoes you wore during your special moments as an NBA player?
Nate Robinson: Oh, most definitely. I had on the Nike Air Force 25 when I blocked Yao Ming. I remember those because I had a blue and orange pair that featured my face on it, but the NBA wouldn’t let me wear those. I had an all-white pair on when I blocked Yao though. When I caught Reggie Jackson slipping this season, I think I had on the “Playoff” 13s, which is one of my favorite Jordans. When I broke Steve Blake at the top of the key, I had on the Kobe IIIs, the ones he wore before switching to low-tops. Oh, and when I did the put-back dunk in college, I wore the all-black Air Max2 CB ’94s.
Nice Kicks: You wear an extremely, wide variety of shoes on the court. What is your favorite basketball signature line?
Nate Robinson: Jordans are #1 for sure, but growing up, I had all of the Iversons and all of the Pennys too. I am a real big Penny fan. I had every Penny shoe that came out – even the original Flights. I love the Scottie Pippens. I’m also a big fan of the Barkleys. The Barkley line is probably my second favorite next to Jordans. I love the Barkleys because they’re high, sturdy and have good ankle support. They just look nice and feel good.