This year, the Milwaukee Bucks have emerged victorious as the champions of the NBA 2020-2021 season. Throughout the six-game playoff, both NBA teams brought out some of the most desirable and advanced sneakers every brand had to offer. Here’s a rundown of some of the best sneakers seen on-court during the entire NBA playoff this season.
Langston Galloway of the Pheonix Suns used his downtime in 2020 to set up his own sneaker brand called Ethics. By Game 1 of the NBA Finals, he stepped out on-court with the very first performance basketball sneaker from his brand called the LG1. The LG1 was designed to be a mix of retro and modern designs, “a way to give kudos to all of the nostalgia and all of the shoes that I’ve worn in my past.” The brand hopes to keep things affordable for “kids that’ve been through similar things”, Galloway told ESPN.
Devin Booker is the first person to wear these Undefeated x Nike Kobe 4 out in public since it was first leaked in May 2020. The very rare sneaker is unlikely to receive a wider release due to the split between Nike and Kobe’s estate, which makes this pair even more exclusive and valuable.
This sneaker is an amalgamation of Puma’s growing prominence in the NBA and its forward-thinking design. The Puma Court Rider’s design draws inspiration from streetwear, coming in bright colorways and a silhouette reminiscent of sneakers like the Thunder Spectra, where the Puma branding is hidden among abstract shapes and accents. Cementing the sneaker’s lifestyle inspiration is its Rider foam midsole – a cushioning technology taken from Puma’s sport style line and adjusted to provide comfort during basketball games. Construction also hunkers back to retro Puma sneakers where mesh, leather and suede are used throughout the sneaker’s uppers. If you’re a fan of NBA 2K21, you can choose to suit up your MyPlayers with the Puma Court Rider.
The Nike Zoom Freak 3 has reignited interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s collaboration with Nike. Its radically improved redesign offers a new forefoot Zoom unit design that supports his play style and Euro Step move by offering a better ground feel and energy return. It helps that the new design is a lot more aligned with Nike’s latest lifestyle and running releases.
Unveiled in 2019, the Jordan CP3 12 is not here for being the latest and greatest from Nike. It’s here because this is the sneaker Chris Paul has on-feet as he plays his first-ever NBA Finals 16 years since his draft!
The latest silhouette to be unveiled from Nike’s G.T. series, The Nike Air Zoom G.T. Run mixed React cushioning and stacked Zoom Air units to create a super light yet supportive court sneaker. Nike clearly drew inspiration from their running line of sneakers, giving the G.T. Run a silhouette that resembles the Nike Epic React and React Infinity Run. Worn by none other than NBA sneaker god, PJ Tucker, the Air Zoom G.T. Run has made a grand entrance at the peak of the NBA 2020-21 season.
Unveiled in May 2021, the Air Jordan 36 has remained an elusive sneaker that has made countless appearances on the NBA courts without a formal release or drop date. The AJ36 continues the split midsole structure of its predecessor but lacks any form of Nike Air branding. In its place is an infinite logo that appears on a small tab near the ankle. Contrasting the very modern Eclipse Plate 3.0 in the midsole is a ’90s-inspired magenta stripe that spans from the heel to the toebox.
Now more than a year since we lost the late Kobe Bryant, his absence is still very much felt in the NBA. This year, we’ve seen more Kobes and Kobe PEs on court than ever before, probably the easiest way for players to express their admiration for ‘Black Mamba’. Looking at these shoes is also a reminder of Kobe’s dedication to performance and design. Whether it’s the sneakers from the original run or his more recent “Protros”, players can still rock them on-court without any performance drawbacks, even though they were designed and released close to a decade ago
