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21. Nate Robinson
photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images via ZimbioNate Robinson has and always will be the wild card of sneakers. Since the beginnings of our Kicks On Court column and the commencement of identifying a Kicks On Court Champion at the end of each season, Robinson has been consistent, well-documented and always pushing the envelope in regards to doing the unthinkable on court when it comes to sneakers. Robinson was deemed our first ever Kicks On Court Champion, as he wore sneakers such as the “Birthday Bundle” Nike Zoom LeBron IV, the “Kryptonate” Nike Foamposite Lite in the Slam Dunk Contest and the “St. Vincent-St. Mary’s” Nike Zoom LeBron V during the 2009-2010 NBA season, in which he played for both the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. But if we were to name each and every shoe he has worn during his career, it would takes days that we don’t have. His impact, however, stretches further than any one shoe he’s worn. It is more so his willingness to do the outlandish things on court that makes him effectual to this day.
The 2012-2013 NBA season bulges out as one of the most watched campaigns, both playing-wise and from a sneaker standpoint, for Nate. It was during his lone season with the Chicago Bulls – one of the best statistical years of his career – that he demanded the basketball world’s attention through shoes more so than his performance at times. There was the moment he wore the favorable “Miro” Air Jordan 7 in a triple overtime thriller during the playoffs, another game in which he wore a different shoe in each quarter of a regular season matchup, a night in which he wore the “Concord” Air Jordan 11 with the Bulls’ pinstripe jerseys as a nod to Michael Jordan during the 1995-1996 NBA season, and overall lacing up 22 different Jordans over the course of the 2012-2013 NBA season. The only non-Jordan he wore that year? The Nike Air Yeezy 2 Black/Solar Red against the Spurs in a regular season game during the month of March. Also, while not credited for being the first player to wear custom sneakers on court, he unofficially reignited the custom craze by sporting a few during the Bulls’ first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets.
Although Robinson has bounced around from team to team during his 10-year NBA career, he will be looked at, years from now, as one of the leaders of the league’s shift to wearing any and everything on court.
-George Kiel III
