Monta Ellis’ Case for 2013 Kicks On Court Champion

Monta Ellis is not picky when it comes to his Jordan selections for the hardwood.

We usually position guys who wear Jordans on court into two categories: players that wear the most recent, performance-driven models, and players that exclusively rock retros. For example, Nate Robinson wore 22 different Air Jordans, and they were all retro releases. On the contrary, Clippers forward Blake Griffin wore Jordan Brand’s latest product, such as the Super.Fly 2 and the Aero Flight, throughout the entire season. Monta Ellis, however, blended the new with the old in the 2012-2013 NBA season.

“You guys really need to go check out Monta Ellis’ sneaker closet,” said former San Antonio Spur Stephen Jackson, also a former teammate and close friend of Monta Ellis. “That guy has all kinds of Jordans – new and old.”

Let’s begin with the old. On the retro front, Ellis rocked models that we’ve consistently seen on the feet other Kicks On Court Champion nominees, such as the “He Got Game” Air Jordan 13, the “Raptor” Air Jordan 7 and the Air Jordan 12 White/Red, but we also spotted him in retros that were not seen worn by anybody else this season. Sneakers, such as the Air Jordan 6 White/Infrared and the original colorway of Michael Jordan’s second signature shoe, were seen on Monta’s feet and Monta’s feet only this season. He also took to the court in two of the three Air Jordan 2 colorways that made up the Candy Pack release of 2010.

As far as the ‘new,’ Ellis was sometimes spotted in the most talked-about Jordan silhouette of this season, the Air Jordan XX8. On multiple occasions, we noticed him in both the “Red Camo” and “Green Camo” Air Jordan XX8s. Though not as popular, Ellis also rocked two colorways of the Air Jordan 1 TXT. Yet, his most notable ‘new’ wears, at least to us, came in the form of him wearing the later Air Jordan signature models that people often forget about. While most players exclusively laced up colorways of Air Jordans 1-14, Ellis added a few colorways of the Air Jordan XVI, the Air Jordan XVII and the Air Jordan XIX to his lineup this season.

And then there’s his Spizikes.

Monta not only laced up a plethora of Jordan Spizike iDs, but he also sported two of the most classic and famed Spizikes ever created. The “Cactus” Spizike is undoubtedly considered one of the jewels of the Spizike collection, and the Gucci-esque Black/True Red-Classic Green colorway is definitely the cream of the crop when it comes to Mars’ kicks.

Check out how Monta Ellis fared in our five departments of Kicks On Court Champion voting. Plus, get a full recap of everything Ellis brought to the court this season, including his 36 different Jordans.

Jordan Spizike Black/Varsity Red-Classic Green Air Jordan XIX White/Varsity Red-Metallic Silver Air Jordan 6 White/Infrared

Top Element of Surprise Wears:
1. Air Jordan 6 White/Infrared
2. Jordan Spizike Black/Varsity Red-Classic Green
3. Air Jordan XIX White/Varsity Red-Metallic Silver

Monta’s wear of the Black/Red-Classic Green Jordan Spizikes is definitely a shocker. We never expected to see those on court. Also, the Air Jordan XIX rarely ever sees daylight on the hardwood, so we must give Monta a nice amount of points in this category.